
Class 

Book 

Copyright}] . 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



TRAINING 
TO TEACH 



A Manual 

for 

Ministers of the 

Word 




Compiled by 

Edgar James Meacham 

Author "Manual (or Funeral Occasions" 







1913 




THE 


STANDARD 


PUBLISHING 


COMPANY 




CINCINNATI, O. 




** 












Copyright, 1913 
The Standard Publishing Co. 



itrol 



^uttto er 




02885* 



*4/ 



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Dedicated 

to 

All Young Men 

who are 
seeking to 

Honor God 

through the 

Ministry of the Word 



PREFACE 



My supreme desire in the preparation of this volume 
has been to provide something that shall be a real help 
to those who have been denied the advantages of spe- 
cial training-, but who have large opportunities for serv- 
ice. There are many such persons who are anxious to 
use their abilities in every place and in every way that 
will help to extend the kingdom of Christ. 

My purpose is not to supply a crutch upon which 
the careless may lean while persuading themselves that 
they are unable "to run without weariness or to walk 
without fainting/' This book is not intended to be 
an oil-well from which to "supply oil for foolish vir- 
gins." Nor is it expected that students will take the 
treatises of the several subjects herein found as ex- 
haustive. 

Rather is it my expectation that this splendid series of 
articles shall provoke thought, stimulate research and ex- 
emplify the best plans of arrangement for public address. 

The plan of the work is to offer an Outline and a 
Meditation on each subject treated. The Meditation is 
intended to furnish a somewhat comprehensive view of 
the subject and the Outline is intended to be a "row of 
pegs' ' upon which to hang such reflections, conclusions, 
illustrations and practical lessons as the student would 
publicly proclaim to others. 

If this book shall enable any individual to become 
a better Christian, a better teacher, a better preacher, a 
better workman, better able "to teach others also," I 
shall regard myself amply compensated for the part I 
have had in preparing it. e. j. m. 



Table of Contents 



Subject and Author Pagb 

Anger, W. R. Walker 17 

Anger, Bruce Brown , . . 136 

Anger — A Meditation, W. R. Walker 2 

Authority, Z. T. Sweeney ; 206 

Authority, W. B. Taylor , . . 230 

Baptism, I. J. Cahill 182 

Baptism, Russell Thrapp 161 

Bible, The, E. E. Violett 29 

Bible, The, W. H. Book. 41 

Blasphemy, E. G. Hamilton 218 

Blasphemy, R. R. Hamlin 189 

Brotherly Kindness, Peter Ainslie 178 

Brotherly Kindness, W. E. Crabtree 57 

Change of Heart, Bruce Brown 213 

Change of Heart, W. B. Taylor 220 

Christian Union, H. H. Peters 15 

Christian Union, E. W. Thornton 243 

Church, The, Ira M. Boswell 6 

Church, The, Geo. L. Snively 21 

Church, The, Walter Mansell 173 

Compassion, J. J. Evans 105 

Compassionate Christ, The, J. J. Tisdall 91 

Confession, John L. Brandt 94 

Confession, I. J. Cahill 182 

Conversion, C. N. Williams 145 

Conversion, E. W. Thornton 242 

Courage, W. N. Briney no 

Courage, T. L. Lowe 196 

Covetousness, I. N. McCash 20 

Covetousness, Cecil J. Sharp 140 

Disobedience, O. P. Spiegel 116 

Disobedience, Cecil J. Sharp 147 

Eternal Life, W. E. Harlow 175 

Eternal Life, M. M. Davis 203 

Faith, Jas. T. McKissick 36 

vii 



viii TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Faith, Adam K. Adcock 72 

Faith, Grant K. Lewis 121 

Faithfulness, M. B. Ainsworth 114 

Faithfulness, Louis D. Riddell 117 

Forbearance, J. W. Street 89 

Forbearance, Geo. C. Waggoner 138 

Forbearance, S. G. Fisher 159 

Forgiveness, I. N.'McCash 1 

Forgiveness, T. L. Lowe 204 

Gentleness, W. N. Briney 108 

Gentleness, W. F. Reagor 132 

Giving, W. F. Turner. 43 

Giving, R. R. Hamlin 191 

Godliness, E. E. Violett 18 

Goodness, W. A. Harp 52 

Gospel, The, Jas. T. McKissick 23 

Gospel, The, L. O. Newcomer 168 

Heart, Change of, Bruce Brown 213 

Heart, Change of, W. B. Taylor 220 

Heart, The — What is It, Hall Laurie Calhoun 33 

Heart, The— What is It, R. W. Abberley 192 

Holy Spirit, The, O. P. Spiegel 128 

Holy Spirit, The, A. M. Growden 153 

Holy Spirit, The, W. B. Taylor 225 

Honor, P. Y. Pendleton 142 

Honor, E. W. Thornton 230 

Hope, J. J. Evans 103 

Hope, Grant W. Speer 166 

Hope, M. M. Davis 201 

Immortality, Walter Mansell 180 

Immortality, A. M. Growden 156 

Jesus, Pre-eminence of 256 

Jesus, Uniqueness of 261 

Joy, M. L. Pierce 82 

Joy, Grounds of Christian 255 

Kindness, W. H. Boden 10 

Kindness, or Love at Its Best, W. F. Reagor 119 

Knowledge, T. E. Cramblet 74 

Knowledge, Grant W. Speer 170 

Life, Eternal, W. E. Harlow 175 

Life, Eternal, M. M. Davis 203 

Longs uffering, C. N. Williams 45 

Longsuffering, E. D. Murch 50 

Lord's Day, The New Testament, M. B. Ainsworth 7 

Lord's Day, The Spiritual Use of, M. B. Ainsworth 13 

Lord's Day, The, Louis D. Riddell 112 

Lord's Supper, The, T. W. Pinkerton 54 



TABLE OF CONTENTS ix 

Lord's Supper, The, T. E. Cramblet 66 

Lord's Supper, The, Mark Collis 158 

Love, Wallace Tharp 143 

Love, Manifestation of God's, W. F. Turner 210 

Love, Traverce Harrison 127 

Malice, Traverce Harrison 25 

Malice, Morton L. Rose 228 

Meekness, Thomas A. Boyer 26 

Meekness 244 

Mercy, or the Desire of God, S. G. Fisher 151 

Mercy, John H. Wood 101 

Obedience, Mark Collis 162 

Obedience 245 

Obedience, or the Doctrine of Doing, S. S. Lappin 254 

Peace, T. W. Pinkerton 28 

Peace — Not as the World Giveth, S. S. Lappin 86 

Peace, Morton L. Rose 194 

Peacemakers, The, James Vernon 130 

Peacemakers 264 

Power of the Word, James Vernon 198 

Power of the Word, E. G. Hamilton 223 

Prayer, R. W. Abberley 200 

Prayer, Carey E. Morgan 216 

Prayers, Our Unanswered, Edward B. Bagby 58 

Punishment, Ira M. Boswell 4 

Punishment, Francis M. Biddle 135 

Pure in Heart, P. Y. Pendleton 155 

Purity of Heart, or How to See God. 252 

Remission of Sins, P. H. Welshimer 149 

Remission of Sins, W. T. Brooks 179 

Repentance, L. O. Newcomer 188 

Repentance 266 

Resurrection, The, W. H. Book 47 

Resurrection of Christ, Ashley S. Johnson 78 

Resurrection, The, G. M. Anderson 107 

Salvation, T. E. Cramblet 61 

Salvation, W. E. Harlow 212 

Salvation 239 

Sanctification, R. H. Fife 184 

SANCTIFI CATION 234 

Service, Hall Laurie Calhoun 33 

Service, Wm. Dunn Ryan 55 

Temperance — Battle of the Bottle, H. H. Peters 34 

Temperance, Sam W. Crabtree 38 

Union, Christian, H. H. Peters 15 

Union, Christian, E. W. Thornton 235 

What is the Heart ? Hall Laurie Calhoun 33 



x TABLE OF CONTENTS 

What is the Heart? R. W. Abberley 192 

Work, Thomas A. Boyer 32 

Worker, Jesus the, S. S. Lappin 83 

Work 259 

Worship, R. H. Fife 186 

Worship, Benefits of, S. S. Lappin 247 



List of Sixty-eight Preachers Who Furnished 
Outlines and Meditations for This Book 



R. W. Abberley. 
Adam K. Adcock. 
Peter Ainslie. 
M. B. Ainsworth. 
G. M. Anderson. 
E. B. Bagby. 
Francis M. Biddle. 
W. H. Boden. 
W. H. Book. 
Ira M. Boswell. 
Thomas A. Boyer. 
John L. Brandt. 
W. N. Briney. 
W. T. Brooks. 
Bruce Brown 
1. J. Cahill. 
Hall Laurie Calhoun. 
Mark Collis. 
Sam W. Crabtree. 
W. E. Crabtree. 
T. E. Cramblet. 
M. M. Davu. 
J. J. Evans. 



R. H. Fife. 
S. G. Fisher. 
A. M. Growden. 
E. G. Hamilton. 
R. R. Hamlin. 
W. E. Harlow. 
W. A. Harp. 
Traverce Harrison. 
Ashley S. Johnson. 
S. S. Lappin. 
Grant K. Lewis. 
T. L. Lowe. 
I. N. McCash. 
Jas. T. McKissick. 
Walter Mansell. 
Carey E Morgan. 
E. D. Murch. 
L. O. Newcomer. 
P. Y. Pendleton 
H. H. Peters. 
M. L. Pierce. 
T. W. Pmkerton. 
W. F. Reagor. 



Louis D. Riddell. 
Morton L. Rose. 
Wm. Dunn Ryan 
C. J. Sharp. 
Geo. L. Snively. 
Grant W. Speer. 
O. P. Spiegel. 
J. W. Street. 
Z. T. Sweeney. 
W. B. Taylor. 
Wallace Tharp. 
E. W. Thornton. 
Russell Thtapp. 
J. J. Tisdall. 
W. F. Turner. 
Tames Vernon. 
E. E. Violett. 
Geo. C. Waggoner 
W. R. Walker. 
P. H. Welshimer. 
C. N. Williams. 
John H. Wood. 



TRAINING TO TEACH 



FORGIVENESS 

What does it mean to forgive a person who has 
done you a wrong ? It means to restore him to the same 
favor in your thoughts and attitude toward him that he 
held before he wronged you. Kindness, offenses and 
transgressions in human society set people at variance. 
Unhappiness results. Kindness impels to overlook in- 
juries and forgive transgressors. To resent a wrong 
is to violate the Golden Rule, and is more hurtful to 
the unforgiving than to the unpardoned. Happy people 
can not afford to cherish memories of evils suffered ; 
they breed hate and hate plots revenge. "He that hateth 
his brother is a murderer." "Vengeance is mine; I will 
repay, saith the Lord." The noble and generous-hearted 
forgive slights and insults as the quickest way to recover 
from their effects. 

Forgiveness is a beautiful virtue, and has most of 
the qualities of both mercy and love. An Eastern para- 
ble compares it to sandalwood, which leaves its own 
fragrance on the ax which cuts it. 

If forgiveness is gracious and essential to happi- 
ness among men, it is more wonderful when promised 
and exercised by the heavenly Father. All have sinned 
against God, and, unless forgiven, we can never dwell 
with him. He says, "Let the wicked forsake his way 
and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return 



2 v TRAINING TO TEACH 

unto the Lord, who will have mercy upon him, and unto 
our God, for he will abundantly pardon. " Such loving- 
kindness and tender mercy of God restore sinners to 
favor. The story of the prodigal son is a portrayal of 
forgiveness. 

Provision is made in Christianity to forgive Chris- 
tians who sin: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and 
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all 
unrighteousness." To be forgiven, we must forgive, 
for "if ye forgive not those who trespass against you, 
neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your 
trespasses." 

He that will not forgive another breaks down the 
bridge over which he himself must cross, for all need 
sometime to be forgiven. I. N. McCash. 

Cincinnati, O 



MEDITATION ON ANGER 

I know anger well and fear it, yet I would not 
have it entirely banished from my life. It is a tiger's 
cub, and must be kept under subjection. When much 
is at stake, it is a whip driving me into action. 

As it lashes my back, I fear less the demons before 
me. 

Sin is in the world, and I must meet it every day in 
street, field, mine, shop, office. It outrages my sense of 
justice, yet I am never immune from its blight. It pains 
me, then benumbs the pang of its own sting. 

I hate it, loathe it, but am prone to tolerate it. 

Anger is my delivering angel. It goads me into calm, 
determined opposition to the whole Satan-begotten, lust- 
born brood of sin. 

God hates it, so must I. He is intolerant of it, 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 3 

therefore I must not tolerate it in my life. His intoler- 
ance and mine find first expression in anger. I see 
clearly why he has created me with potential indignation. 
I need it to drive me to hate and fight sin. 

Only by sleepless vigilance can I prevent it from 
running riot and ruining me. Its passion turned loose 
weakens and unnerves me for every real conflict. It 
fe^ds the demon hate till he becomes twin brother to 
murder. Grown big and powerful, it would drive reason 
from its throne, and make me the companion of insane 
and imbecile folk. 

What wisdom do I need to keep it in the servant's 
place, making it the efficient agent of love in doing her 
work of supplanting evil. 

Another task is mine. I am counseled to hate sin, 
but love the sinner. A fine piece of speculative psycho- 
logical theorizing this. Has any one worked it out 
thus in his experience? Sin is such an essential ex- 
pression of the sinner that they can not be divorced. 
Neither sin nor righteousness is quite abstract. Both 
are personal. I can neither be angry at nor love ab- 
stractions. 

I can only love God through personality as found in 
Jesus. 

I can best hate sin in Satan. 

But I must not hate, persecute nor take revenge. 
To experience the feeling of anger that is justifiable — 
the righteous disapproval of unrighteous deeds — and not 
indulge forbidden emotions, is impossible save as I ever 
have Jesus' viewpoint of sin and sinners. 

Blessed Master, grant thine own spirit to possess and 
rule my life, that he may hold in subjection every passion 
that would destroy. 

Bestow grace that his presence be encouraged, for 



4 TRAINING TO TEACH 

I need his illuminating and directing power. May I be 
displeased only with those who displease thee, and love 
and serve unselfishly those to whom thou wouldst have 
me minister. Let love abound and dominate, that the 
passions of peril to me may be kept within due bounds 
toward all mankind. W. R. Walker. 



PUNISHMENT 

There can be no adequate discussion of punishment 
which is not based upon an adequate understanding of 
sin. If we can fully know what sin is, we can fully 
determine what punishment ought to be. God alone 
has a full conception of what sin is, and all he says about 
punishment must be interpreted in the light of what he 
says about sin. A mistake in our estimate of the char- 
acter and consequence of sin will lead to a mistake in 
our measure of the character and duration of punish- 
ment. 

To determine how and how long sin must be pun- 
ished, demands upon our part a full appreciation of 
its heinousness. Here, again, God alone can judge. 
We are not capable judges in this matter, yet, in spite 
of our perverted moral and spiritual taste, and the dull- 
ing of our conscience by the so-called pleasures and 
profit which we receive from our sinful indulgences, 
our indictment is most severe. We admit it to be a 
source of all our woes ; we rebel against being convinced 
of sin, and are ashamed of the punishment which comes 
to us in this life as a result of it. We pronounce sin 
to be the most expensive and disastrous thing in the 
world. God adds his indictment to ours, and from the 
Alpha to the Omega of his revelation he insists that 
pain and penalty is the inevitable result of sin. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 5 

Nor can we estimate the character and duration of 
punishment without a knowledge of what sin is. It is 
not a property of nature. We are not born in sin, 
nor is sin born in us. We can neither inherit nor 
bequeath it. It is that spirit of antagonism to the laws 
of God which leads to voluntary unrighteousness. John 
calls it "lawlessness." It is spiritual anarchy, which 
results in the violation of known duty and failure to 
render to God that which is justly his. We must be 
careful not to confuse sins with sin. The sin is the 
cause, the sins are the result. Sin is the attitude of the 
heart ; sins, the results which appear in the life which 
has missed the mark. 

It follows, then, that punishment is not arbitrary, 
but constitutional. God does not punish sin because 
he wants to, but because he has to. Strictly speaking, 
God does not punish sin. Sin has in it its own punish- 
ment. It works automatically. God's pronouncements 
of punishment are not indications of his anger against 
the sinner, but sign-boards of his love which he has 
erected to show us the inevitable results which are the 
inherent consequences of sin. 

Moreover, it is evident that punishment is not reme- 
dial, but penal. Further, it is moral and mental. As 
long as we are in this physical body there will be physical 
penalty, but the future penalty must fit the future body. 
The punishment, then, is not material, and must last as 
long as sin is unrepented of and un forgiven. 

If sin is a voluntary act, repentance must also be 
voluntary. God can not forgive sin until it is repented 
of. There is no reason to believe that he will or can 
do more in the world to come to bring us to repentance 
than in this present world. There is nothing in our own 
experience nor in the word of God to give color to 



6 TRAINING TO TEACH 

the belief that that one who refuses to repent in this life 
will do so in the life to come. On the contrary, all 
testimony points to the finality of the statement : "Let him 
that is filthy be filthy still." It is not, therefore, un- 
reasonable that if there be eternal rebellion, there will 
be eternal un forgiveness. Eternal un forgiveness will 
necessitate eternal punishment. 

Eternal punishment is no insult to God's mercy and 
love. He has done all in his power to turn men to 
righteousness. Anything less would make him that much 
less God. He so loved us as to give his Son for us. 
The cross is the pledge of his love. To-day, as in 
the days of the prophet and of Paul, he tenderly says: 
"All the day long did I spread out my hands unto a 
disobedient and gainsaying people." 

Chattanooga, Tenn. Ira M. Bos well. 



THE CHURCH 

Introduction. — The church a New Testament institu- 
tion. To the New Testament we go to find what it is. 
I. Definition of Church. 

1. Christ's body (Col. 1:24). Penitent, baptized 
believers form this building (Eph. 2: 19-21 ; 1 Pet. 2:5). 
Rom. 12:4, 5; 6:3-5; 1: 1-7). 

2. God's building (1 Cor. 3:9). Penitent, baptized 
believers from this building (Eph. 2: 19-21 ; 1 Pet. 2:5). 

II. Christ's Relation to the Church. 

1. He is its Head (Col. 1:18). 

2. He gives it his name (Rom. 16: 16). 

3. He is its builder (Matt. 16: 18). 

4. He is its husband (Rom. 7:4). 

5. He loves it (Eph. 5:25). 

6. He cherisheth it (Eph. 5:29, 30). 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 7 

7. He purchased it (Acts 20:28). 

8. He gave himself for it (Eph. 5:25). 

9. He sanctified it (Eph. 5:26, 2y). 
III. The Purpose of the Church. 

1. To evangelize the world (Matt. 28: 19, 20; Mark 
16: 15, 16; Acts 13: 1-3; Rev. 22: 17). 

2. To teach the converted (Acts 11 : 26). 

3. To perpetuate his memory and suffering (Matt. 
26 : 26-30 ; Mark 14 : 22-26 ; Luke 22 : 14-20 ; Acts 20 : 7 ; 
1 Cor. 1 1 : 18-26) . 

4. For works of benevolence (Acts 11:27-29; Rom. 
15:25, 26; 1 Cor. 16: 1, 2; 2 Cor. 8:1-4; 9:1-5; 11 : 8; 
Gal. 2: 10; Phil. 4: 15). 

5. The support of the truth (1 Tim. 3: 15). 

6. A dwelling-place for God (Eph. 2:22). 

7. For the glory of God (Eph. 3: 21). 

8. To teach and serve the world (Matt. 5: 13-16). 
Conclusion: In view of (1) what the church is, (2) 

who compose it, (3) Christ's relation to it, (4) and its 
purpose, how can one ignore it, have hope of heaven 
without it, or fail to do his duty by it? 

Chattanooga, Tenn. Ira M. Bos well. 



THE NEW TESTAMENT LORD'S DAY 

INTRODUCTION. 

We should be as devoted in our religion upon every 
other day of the week as we are on the Lord's Day. 
We are to consider the first day as the time when we 
give special attention to the study of God's movements 
in human history, and secure for ourselves inspiration to 
leave the impress of God's life in the whole week's 
service. On the other six days of the week we should 



8 TRAINING TO TEACH 

be putting- in practice the principles we learned on the 
first day. 

PASSING OF THE JEWISH SABBATH. 

The first word we have relative to the passing of 
the Jewish system is the intimation from Jesus that 
"one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away until 
all be fulfilled." And again, "I have not come to destroy, 
but to fulfil." Then, later referring to this process of 
fulfilling, in his intercessory prayer, Jesus said, "I have 
finished the work thou hast given me to do" (John 
17:4). Still later, on the cross, "It is finished" (John 
19: 30). On the day of Pentecost Peter refers to Joel's 
prophecy of the last days as being fulfilled by the life, 
death and exaltation of Jesus (Acts 2: 17). In Col. 2: 
8-17 Paul clearly states that Jewish institutions were no 
longer in force, but were "blotted out, taken away, and 
nailed to the cross." Other references: Heb. 8:13; 
9 : I 5" I 7- 

SABBATIC ANALOGY. 

I. Purpose of the Sabbath. — To get anything like 
an accurate understanding of the Lord's Day, and its 
value in the life of the church, we must look into its 
historic setting, and study it in the light of the Jewish 
Sabbath. After the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt, 
Moses brought from Mt. Sinai the Ten Commandments. 
The fourth of these statutes required absolute rest from 
all physical labor on the Sabbath. On this day they 
were to honor God, and perpetuate reverence for him 
through the life of the nation. The day was given as 
a memorial of the divine goodness which had delivered 
them from their oppressors (Deut. 5: 15). This makes 
clear that it was a national statute of memorial charac- 
ter, requiring their faithful recognition and obedience. 
By its consistent observance they were to declare their 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 9 

gratitude to the One who had delivered their race from 
physical bondage. We do not keep the Sabbath, because 
we were never in Egypt, and hence never emancipated 
from her slavish dominion. 

2. Purpose of the Lord's Day. — On one occasion 
Jesus remarked to some of those who had only a super- 
ficial knowledge of the Sabbath, that "the sabbath was 
made for man, and not man for the sabbath" (Mark 2: 
2j y 28). Jesus taught that the Sabbath, with its ap- 
pointed exercises, was to be regarded as an agency for 
human good. Man was to make the day minister to his 
higher needs. Man is greater than the Sabbath, there- 
fore the Sabbath must serve man. "For the Son of man 
is Lord also of the sabbath day." Through Christ God 
was to associate himself with the world's life, as he had 
done with the Jewish nation, and, owing to this enlarged 
area of his operations, the variety and character of con- 
ditions throughout the world's races, the provincial 
character of the Jewish system was inadequate, and one 
must be adopted to satisfy the universal need. All 
nations could not be delivered from Egyptian serfdom, 
because all nations were never subjected to Egyptian 
bonds. The universal need, therefore, was not eman- 
cipation from physical slavery, but deliverance from 
spiritual bondage — the bondage of sin and death. This 
is a world condition, and a world needs deliverance 
therefrom, and on the first day of the week, through 
the resurrection of Jesus, immortality was brought to 
light, the fear of death destroyed, and moral and spiritual 
emancipation made complete. 

THE NEW TESTAMENT LORD'S DAY. 

Therefore, as the Hebrew observed the Sabbath in 
memory of their freedom from physical servitude, the 



10 TRAINING TO TEACH 

Christian people throughout the whole world regard 
the first day of the week as the Lord's Day, and observe 
it as a memorial of their spiritual emancipation. 

APOSTOLIC EXAMPLE. 

In Acts 20: 7 mention of the assembly of the disciples 
is made in such a manner as to indicate they were only 
following their usual apostolic practice. While we have 
no recorded command to observe the first day, yet we 
have reason to believe the apostles had the verbal com- 
mand of our Lord, otherwise it would be difficult to 
account for their evident practice. The historian has 
recorded no command for the sacrifice of Cain and Abel, 
yet their recorded sacrifice is evidence of the existence 
of such a command. In the light of this assembly of the 
disciples on the first day of the week, and Paul's men- 
tion of their "laying by in store, upon the first day of 
the week," we have reason to regard the regular observ- 
ance of the first day as an apostolic practice which was 
promoted by the verbal authority of our Lord. It is 
not to be observed as a day of rest, as was the old Jewish 
Sabbath, but as a day of worship, of inspiration, and 
great religious activity. M. B. Ainsworth. 

Georgetown, Ky. 



KINDNESS 

In his ascending scale of Christian graces, the apostle 
Peter has placed brotherly kindness next to the top 
between godliness and love. It is the active expression of 
both. Out of the godly life and the loving heart kind 
words and deeds are born. Love not only suffereth long, 
but returns good for evil. Love is kind. 

Kindness is the strong bond that holds the race in a 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 11 

universal brotherhood. The very meaning of the word 
implies kinship. There was a time when kind words and 
deeds were kin words and deeds. A man's neighbors 
were only those who lived next door, and his friends 
were only of his own family, tribe or nation. All others 
were barbarian dogs and enemies. Toward them his 
heart of compassion was closed. Kindness would have 
seemed weakness. 

But by the parable of the good Samaritan, by the 
example of Him who heard every cry of the needy; 
by the word of Him who taught us to love our enemies 
and to do good to those who use us despitef ully ; by 
the universal gospel of love and life that declares that 
God has made of one blood all nations that dwell upon 
the earth — we have learned a new definition for neighbor, 
and have gotten a new conception of brotherhood. 
Slowly but certainly the heavenly sun of kindness is 
melting earth's frosts of hate, and golden harvests of 
friendships are growing in the once barren fields. 

In the olden days only the strongest survived, but 
in these days Christian kindness makes the weak strong. 
In the ancient time none who wore a sackcloth could 
enter the king's gate. In the new time all are kings and 
priests unto God, and privileged to come boldly to the 
throne of grace. Under the old regime the outcast lepers 
cried, "Unclean, unclean;" the blind sat by the wayside 
calling, "Blind, blind; remember the blind," and the im- 
potent man was crowded from Bethesda's healing waters. 
In the better days of the kindly Christ the lepers are 
healed, the blind wash at Siloam and receive their sight, 
and the man who is crowded out gets the sympathetic 
word and the healing touch of the great Physician. 
How the world has changed since Christ has been teach- 
ing it the law of kindness! 



12 TRAINING TO TEACH 

There is a legend that in the days when the Word 
was flesh and dwelt among men a dead dog lay in the 
streets of Jerusalem. As they passed, men kicked it and 
cursed it, and spat upon it and called attention to its ugli- 
ness. But at last one came who tenderly lifted the 
bruised body to the side of the street, and said, as he 
stroked its glossy hair, "What a beautiful coat of fur 
he had !" And men stopped to wonder, and said as they 
passed on, "That must be Jesus." 

O soul of mine, hardened by contact with a sinful 
world, ready to give blow for blow and to meet curse 
with curse, go to Him who was reviled and reviled not 
again, and learn of Him how to speak the gentle word 
and do the deeds of kindness that will mark thee as a 
citizen of his kingdom of love and peace. Learn that 
the great victories are not won by stoutly battling for 
thy rights, but by overcoming evil with good. Come 
thou to know the power of the soft answer, the shining 
face and the helping hand. Then shall men say as they 
touch thy ways upon life's journey, Christ must still 
be upon the earth. 

"Have you had a kindness shown? 

Pass it on, pass it on. 
'Twas not given for thee alone. 

Pass it on, pass it on. 
Let it travel down the years, 
Let it wipe another's tears, 
Till in heaven the deed appears. 

Pass it on. 
Live for self, you live in vain ; 
Live for Christ, you live again. 
Live for him, with him you reign. 

Pass it on, pass it on." 

Nelsonville, O. W. H. Boden. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 13 

THE SPIRITUAL USE OF THE LORD'S 

DAY 

"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day." — Rev. 1 : 10. 

INTRODUCTION. 

John in his old age is in exile on the island of Patmos. 
His banishment was occasioned by the faithful testimony 
he bore to the "word of God and the testimony of Jesus." 
His solitude makes active service impossible, and leaves 
him to meditation and prayer. 

INACTIVITY JUSTIFIED WHEN FOLLOWED BY REFLECTION. 

We must have moments for reflection, time to esti- 
mate the value of what we have been doing, and the 
extent to which God has been using us. It is in such 
moments of devotion we find spiritual impulse and 
courage for action and service. 

SOUL ILLUMINATION COMES ONLY BY' CONTEMPLATING THE 
SPIRITUAL MOVEMENTS OF HISTORY. 

While John is excluded from the world activities, he 
had undisturbed time to think upon the events of his 
life as they related to God's purpose in the kingdom ; 
i. e., his call, the conversations and miracles of Jesus, 
His trial before Pilate, and His death. Then the resur- 
rection with its joy, the forty days of fellowship and 
inspiration, the ascension, and Pentecost and its victory. 
Then the apostolic labors, the persecutions, the victories ; 
the death of all his companions, and his own exile. Yet 
neither persecution, nor death, nor exile, nor any other 
power, can triumph over righteousness. Out of the 
blood of martyrs, the hardships of saints, the kingdom 
of God unfolds in wondrous beauty. In all he sees the 
hand of God, and counts it joy to suffer for a cause 
that has such a glorious destiny. It was such reflections 



14 TRAINING TO TEACH 

that made it possible for him to exclaim, "I was in 
the Spirit on the Lord's day." Is it any wonder that 
congregations are made up of listless hearers and indif- 
ferent members when the Saturday evening previous has 
been spent in visiting a whole row of five-cent theaters, 
and the Sunday morning in reading the Sunday paper 
until there troops through the imagination scenes of mur- 
der, the violence of mobs, the shouts and laughter in the 
fields of sport, and revelry and lust in the haunts of 
shame? How can any one expect to be in the Spirit on 
the Lord's Day, to find the house of God the place of 
supreme delight and spiritual rapture, if they never 
contemplate the great spiritual movements of history? 
I tell you if you will fill your minds with truth, your 
hearts with love, your imagination with beauty, and your 
hands with noble work; if you will take fresh drinks 
from the eternal fountain, and renew your strength by 
waiting upon God — every Lord's Day will be to you 
what it was to this ancient servant of the Lord, a 
crowning inspiration and an unutterable joy. 

THE VISIONS OF GOD COME ONLY TO THOSE OF 
SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT. 

No unspiritual man ever has a vision of God as 
the chief factor in human progress. To make ourselves 
familiar with God's achievements in the past, is to attain 
certain knowledge of what God will do in the future. 
By thinking of God's past revelations, John is invoking 
spiritual capacity for future and greater disclosures. He 
is fitting himself for the vision of an open heaven, 
and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. By 
looking at what God has done to the enemies of truth, 
he sees what God will do in the future, and assures his 
comrades that God will prevail, Jerusalem shall fall, and 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 15 

Rome be judged. Then, if we would have a vision of 
God, let us be spiritual; if we would be spiritual, let us 
read all history in the light of God's presence and 
purpose in the world. M. B. Ainsworth. 

Georgetown, Ky. 



CHRISTIAN UNION 

(Eph. 4: 4-7.) 

We are beginning the second century of a movement 
for the restoration of the Christianity of the New Tes- 
tament and for the unity of the people of God on the 
basis of New Testament teaching. The ideal has not 
been reached. But the Christian world has been aroused 
to the importance of this movement. 

It would be folly for us to claim that we have been 
entirely responsible for the interest taken in the matter 
of Christian union; but we can modestly claim to have 
had a small part. The heart of the Christian world is 
right on this question, but the head is wrong. But the 
indications are favorable for success. The time is com- 
ing when the universal longing of the best spirits of the 
church for the unity of God's people will be realized 
in actual organic fellowship. 

In the discussion of this theme, we wish to call atten- 
tion to two things: First: The problem stated. Second: 
The problem solved. 

THE PROBLEM STATED. 

Paul states the problem in this manner: "Giving 
diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of 
peace." 

There are four good reasons for stating the problem : 
The church must be united. 

1. Our Lord established but one church. 



16 TRAINING TO TEACH 

2. He provided for the perpetuity of his church. 

3. He prayed for the unity of his church. 

4. The disciples condemned divisions in the early 
church and exhorted to unity. 

The sum total of New Testament teaching on the 
necessity for Christian union may be presented in these 
great words of Paul: "Now, I beseech you, brethren, 
through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you 
all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions 
among you; but that ye be perfected together in the 
same mind and the same judgment" (1 Cor. 1: 10). 

THE PROBLEM SOLVED. 

After giving expression to the necessity for "the 
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," Paul enumer- 
ates seven gospel unities : "There is one body, and one 
Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your 
calling ; one Lord, one faith, one baptism ; one God and 
Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all." 

The teaching of Paul is this. If the church has the 
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, it can keep it 
by the maintenance of these gospel unities. If the church 
has lost the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, it 
can be regained by the acceptance of them. The unities 
meet the necessities of pure worship and successful 
Christian service. 

1. There must be unity in worship because there is 
one God. 

2. There must be unity in authority because there is 
one Lord. 

3. There must be unity in message because there is 
one faith. 

4. There must be unity in organization because there 
is one body. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 17 

5. There must be unity in practice because there is 
one baptism. 

6. There must be unity in life because there is one 
Spirit. 

7. There must be unity in desire and expectation be- 
cause there is one hope. 

When the Christian world bows humbly at the altar 
of "one God," recognizes the authority of "one Lord," 
preaches the "one faith," practices the "one baptism," 
makes supreme the "one body," is animated by the "one 
Spirit," and inspired by the "one hope," then, and not 
till then, will the question of Christian union be settled 
in theory and in practice. H. H. Peters. 

Eureka, 111. 

ANGER 

Text : Eph. 4 : 26. 

I. Definition. (See Webster.) Strong word, tense, 
pregnant with meaning. Note etymology. 

II. Not necessarily sin. 

1. Characteristic of God. (Ps. 6:1; Num. 11 : 1, 10; 
Deut. 29 : 2$ ; Isa. 63 : 6.) 

2. Jesus became angry. (Mark 3:5.) 

III. Righteous anger considered. 

1. The emotion rising from an outraged sense of 
justice. Common causes: discourtesy, oppression, false- 
hood (Prov. 15:1), fraud, dishonesty, insubordination. 

2. "I never saw him angry" a doubtful compliment. 

3. Righteous anger slow to develop. God "slow to 
anger." (See also Tit. 1:7.) 

4. Anger and "temper" not synonyms. Temper 
(irascibility, petulance, etc.) always sin. Temper adver- 
tises lack of self-control. Anger and self-control entirely 
compatible. Deliberately planned and determinedly ex- 



18 TRAINING TO TEACH 

ecuted campaigns against sin illustrate how anger, as 
a motive passion, works when duly controlled; e. g., 
Luther's Reformation, etc. 

IV. Warning concerning anger. 

1. A fire near powder-house. Explosion prevented 
only by an asbestos wall of self-control. 

2. Uncontrolled, anger a raging, death-carrying tor- 
rent. Controlled, a cleansing, purifying stream. 

3. Great peril connected with it. Danger of degener- 
ating into hate, the blighted fruit of anger. Therefore, 
in Eph. 4:31 and Col. 3:8, anger classed among for- 
bidden emotions. In Eccl. 7 : 9, the preacher counsels 
slowness to anger, and intimates it should be short-lived. 
Should incubate slowly, die early. (Prov. 15:18.) It 
abides only in the heart of the fool. It is a perilous 
companion, and any man exposing himself to peril need- 
lessly is a fool. 

V. Close. 

1. An essential characteristic of man to help him 
fight sin. 

2. Not to be confused with temper. 

3. Dangerous, but controllable. 

4. Must be directed against evil, not harbored against 
persons. Can you hate sin and love the sinner? 

W. R. Walker. 



GODLINESS 

Godliness is Godlikeness. It is a large word for 
good, just as righteousness is a large word for right. 
Godliness in man identifies him as a relative of God : it 
is his closest imitation of the Father in heaven. Who- 
ever possesses godliness has surely walked with God. 
In the list of the Christian virtues, Peter gives godliness 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 19 

the sixth place. Perhaps this is because it is so close to 
the superlative in character-building. In godliness, 
humanity and divinity find their real trysting-place on 
earth. Without godliness, no man shall know God. 

As faith often includes the whole of the Christian 
system, so godliness is the aggregate of all Christian 
graces. In godliness, the Christian inherits the right to 
partake of every precious promise in the word of God; 
nothing is denied him, because he holds in his hand the 
very key to the treasure-house of heaven. Virtue, 
knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, 
faith, hope, charity, peace, meekness, gentleness, happi- 
ness — all belong to the possessor of godliness. The ab- 
sence of any of these holy, heavenly attributes is an 
indication that we are that much short of true godliness. 

Christ is the foundation of the temple of trust ; godli- 
ness is the beautiful and magnificent superstructure. 
Our fellow-creatures, looking upon that temple with its 
sure foundation, its symmetrical appointments, its rich 
furnishings, its gorgeous columns and glittering domes 
reflecting the glory of the eternal world, are constrained 
to praise the Father in heaven for bringing righteous- 
ness upon the earth. Godliness is to the life what beauty 
is to the lily, fragrance to the rose, and love to the heart. 
Christianity has its greatest asset in the godliness of the 
Christian; no doubter can escape its convincing power. 

We take time for business, pleasure, society, recrea- 
tion ; should we not also take time for godliness ? In 
every walk of business and social life, we find ourselves 
taking precautions against failure. Behold how much 
more important is godliness ! Failing in this, our failure 
is complete and eternal. Better a standing in godliness 
with God than a position in society and large bank ac- 
count. Other things are temporary, but godliness is for 



20 TRAINING TO TEACH 

all eternity. Godliness is its own compensation, to say 
nothing of a life beyond the grave. In death, no man 
shall regret a life whose outstanding characteristic has 
been godliness. 

"Take time to be holy, 
Speak oft with the Lord; 
Abide with him ever, 
And feed on his word." 

Eeal E. Violett. 



COVETOUSNESS 

There is no wrong in a thought about what others 
own. There is no harm .in a simple wish to possess 
what belongs to another. But when thought and wish 
combine in inordinate desire to secure for self belong- 
ings of others, covetousness is begotten. Covetousness 
is a vice opposing the virtues of liberality, generosity 
and unselfishness. It belongs in a class with parsimony, 
avarice, miserliness, niggardliness, the greedy and pe- 
nurious. God said, "Thou shalt not covet," and com- 
manded Moses to engrave that command on tables of 
stone. The Psalmist sang, "The wicked praiseth the 
covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth." Solomon, the 
wisest man, said, "He that hateth covetousness shall 
prolong his days." Covetousness is associated by New 
Testament writers with theft, wickedness, fornication, 
evil concupiscence, idolatry and drunkenness. The com- 
panionship of covetousness should condemn it, for words, 
like people, are known by the company they keep. 

The effects of covetousness are the drowning of sym- 
pathy for others, hardening of the heart, and the 
quenching of spiritual life. Love of God is cast out of 
the soul, and love of worldly goods takes its place. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 21 

Covetousness is subtle in its approach upon the soul. 
No man ever becomes suddenly covetous ; but as he 
obtains possessions, desire for more grows stronger, until 
he is under its domination. Like a leech, it is never full. 
It is a vampire to spiritual life. Jay Gould was asked, 
"When is a rich man satisfied?" His reply was, "When 
he gets a little more." 

Warning against this common, world-wide vice 
should be given to all who prize spiritual things above 
material. A red lantern should be hung over its pitfalls 
to prevent the unwary from falling to destruction. Our 
age exemplifies the spirit of greed, and unholy yearning 
for possessions, to hold them for selfish ends. Earthly 
treasures perish with their using. Riches take wings 
and fly away. Our Lord's admonition is the embodiment 
of wisdom: "Lay up for yourself treasures in heaven, 
where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where 
thieves do not break through nor steal ; for where your 
treasure is, there will your heart be also." 

References: Ex. 20:17; Ps. 10:3; Prov. 28:16; 
Mark j:22\ Rom. 1 : 29 ; 1 Cor. 5 : 1 1-6 : 10 ; Col. 3 : 5. 

Cincinnati, O. I. N. McCash. 



THE CHURCH 

INTRODUCTION. 

Of the most divinely omnipotent and beneficent insti- 
tution on earth and in heaven I speak — the church of 
God. 

PERSONNEL. 

Its name, "the ecclesia" "the called," suggests the 
personnel of the church to consist of the Father, Son, 
Holy Spirit, the angels attending them in glory, and all 
those spirits and persons now in heaven or yet on earth 



22 TRAINING TO TEACH 

who, having heard the Father's summons, are trying, 
wherever they are, in his appointed way, to realize his 
righteousness. 

NATURE. 

It is a kingdom of two provinces. The celestial 
church began with the resplendent radiation of the first 
angels from the bosom of infinite love. 

The terrestrial province was constituted with the crea- 
tion of Adam and Eve. 

It has had various constitutions and ascriptions. 

In the church of the patriarchs Enoch walked with 
God, and did not die. Abraham also became the friend 
of God, and saw a better country. 

In the church of Moses splendid trophies were won 
by men redeemed from sin — the righteousness crowning 
Ezra and Nehemiah as with halos; Elijah's chariot of 
fire ; Jehovah's encomium on David ; Isaiah's visions ; 
John's commerce with Jesus. 

For two thousand years now these churches have 
yielded place to the church of Christ. 

The Son of God established this church. He loved 
it and gave his life for it. He calls upon men every- 
where to enter this church as into a fold of safety. 
He reserves the prerogative of stipulating the conditions 
on which men may secure and maintain the rights of 
citizenship. He declares those holding aloof are beyond 
the pale of God's power to save. 

TERRITORY. 

The boundaries of the church are not geometric, but 
spiritual. The kingdom is within you. 

The farthest orbit of the most distant sun does not 
sweep beyond its jurisdiction, nor should it anywhere 
be more potent than where you stand. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 23 

Everywhere is sacred ground and a place of access 
for the humblest unto his King. 

ADMINISTRATION. 

There is one great Lawgiver whose Vicegerent is 
Christ, and the Holy Spirit his Interpreter. Neither 
province has a legislature. In heaven angels, and on 
earth men, are servants and almoners, but for either to 
attempt lawmaking is sacrilege and deadly treason. 

PURPOSE. 

• 
Its mission is the re-establishment of right relations 
between man and man, and between man and God, that 
earth may be a "paradise regained," and heaven peopled 
with the tenantry of earth. 

PECULIAR BLESSINGS. 

Oh, secure citizenship herein, for in the church alone 
can you enjoy 

1. The forgiveness of your sins. 

2. The comfort of the indwelling Spirit. 

3. The consciousness of divine Fatherhood. 

4. The right of inheritance to a home in the ever- 
lasting habitations, "where every hour is rich with love 
and every moment jeweled with a joy." 

Lewistown, 111. Geo. L. Snively. 



THE GOSPEL 

The word "gospel" means "good news or glad tid- 
ings, especially the announcement of the salvation of 
men through the atoning death of Jesus Christ." (See 
1 Cor. 15: 1-4.) The meaning of the word forbids the 
idea of Calvinism, for it would not be good news to tell 

(2) 



24 TRAINING TO TEACH 

any man that he was lost and could not help it; that it 
was so decreed before the foundation of the world. 

We are lost without Christ, like wrecked sailors on 
a shoreless sea or lost travelers in a boundless desert. 
Jesus is sent from heaven to save (Luke 19: 10). As 
Milton says : 

"He forsook the courts of lasting day, 
And took with us a darksome house of mortal clay." 

Jesus is the central figure of the gospel. 

I. The facts of the gospel. God knows man, and 
reveals himself to the race through words plain and un- 
equivocal. These facts are to be believed. (See John 
20: 30, 31.) The faith that saves is the faith that moves 
to action; it comes of hearing (Rom. 10:17). Faith 
has long been shrouded in mystery, and men have been 
told that vital vitalizing power must be given from 
heaven that the preaching may be effective, but the New 
Testament teaching is very plain (Acts 18:8). This 
simple, plain way brought thousands to the feet of Jesus 
during the first years of Christianity, and a like pro- 
cedure will win multitudes to-day. 

II. The commands of the gospel. Jesus gave certain 
commands for men to obey. (See Mark 16: 15, 16 and 
Heb. 5:8, 9.) Obedience to these commands brings life 
and shows that we acknowledge Him as King of kings 
and Lord of lords. As obedience in the natural world 
brings blessing, so in the realm of grace. Almost the 
last word of the Bible is a blessing* upon those who obey. 
The commands of the gospel are faith, repentance and 
baptism. Faithful observance of these bring us out of 
darkness into the marvelous light. 

III. The promises of the gospel. These are remis- 
sion of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit and eternal life. 
These are the inalienable privileges of the child of God. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 25 

God, who can not lie, has given us many rich and pre- 
cious promises. He vouchsafes to us life eternal through 
his blessed Son (John 17: 3). There is life to be found 
in no other (Acts 4: 11, 12). Our sins are forgiven 
through him (1 John 2:2). In life, in death; in joy, in 
sorrow ; in prosperity, in adversity — in all the shifting 
scenes of life — we have the precious promise that he is 
with us and will be until faith is lost in sight and hope 
in reality. Jas. T. McKissick. 

Nashville, Tenn. 



MALICE 

Malice is the author of envy and hatred, the beginner 
of secret sedition, and the perpetual tormentor of virtue. 
It laments over brotherly love and pines at the sight of 
health. Like death, it loves a shining mark: like the 
worm, it seeks the fairest fruits : like the cunning hound, 
it singles out the fattest deer in the flock. 

Malice is detestable. It keeps no holidays, but is con- 
stantly working out its own disquiet. He whose heart 
is imbued with malice loseth much of the pleasures of life. 

Malice destroys one's own happiness. It is deeply 
seated in the character of the individual, and certainly 
its effects are far-reaching in his life. It is so base and 
detestable, so vile in its origin, that one can not adopt 
a more suicidal course as far as his own happiness is 
concerned. 

Malice is cruel in pursuit. It rests not till the grave 
closes over its victim. There is, in Grecian literature, 
the story of a malicious man who went forth in the 
stillness of the midnight hour to destroy a victor's statue. 
He was successful in moving the image from its pedestal, 
but in its fall it crushed him to death. What a suggestive 



26 TRAINING TO TEACH 

illustration of the effects of malice in the human heart. 

Malice grozvs in all hearts. It is not confined to 
any rank of men, or extent of fortune, but rages in 
the breast of those of every degree. Since, then, it 
keeps all sorts of company, and carries so much poison 
with it that it ruins any life in which it finds lodgment, 
it is worth our utmost care to dislodge it before it pro- 
cures a shelter to conceal itself, and work to our con- 
fusion and shame. 

Malice grows by what it feeds upon. If it were not 
nourished, it would die. A weed can not grow in a 
garden did we not give it place. Malice could not accom- 
plish much in our hearts did we not give it place. * It 
is an inappeasable thing. Like some hideous beast, it 
crouches at the door of the heart. 

The surest protection against malice is to live in an 
atmosphere of good. Fill the heart with an overmaster- 
ing love for Christ, and malice can not hold sway over 
it. Turn your thoughts toward heavenly things. Occupy 
your hands and your heart and your time with good, and 
thus starve malice out of your life. 

Lisbon, O. Traverce Harrison. 



MEEKNESS 

''Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the 
earth."— Matt. 5:5. 

It is doubtful, I think, if, among the whole sky- 
full of ideals that our Lord and Master has flung out 
for the safe guidance of the world, there is a single one 
that carries with it more of challenge and overthrow to 
the established order of things than the one that is 
hereby set forth. 

From the very day-dawn of history, men have had 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 27 

their gods and demigods, their heroes and heroines — 
their men and women of destiny to whom they have 
been wont to burn incense. Instead, however, of attain- 
ing in their mental processes to anything like this ideal 
of the Master's, they have fallen far below it altogether. 
As a declaration as to the general style and make-up of 
the world's coming hero — the order of nobility that was 
to be — it is flat in the face of every conception to which 
men had ever given their minds. Physical stature, in- 
flammableness — men of the characteristics of gun-cotton 
— were the men of foremost influence and of power. 
Thus, Alexander the Great was accounted the son of a 
god, while Caesar was deified as soon as he was dead, 
not because he was the embodiment in any measure of 
the elements of gentleness and self-control and absolute 
worth, but purely and simply because he was a demigod 
of military prowess — because he could say, "I came, I 
saw, I conquered," all of which is, unless there be some 
thread of noble purpose running through it to sanctify 
and conserve it, very base and profane and ignoble. 

Here is the Master, however, striking an entirely 
new note. Not a note of unresponsiveness and uncon- 
cern in the face of the world's moral and spiritual hurt; 
instead, a high, dominant note of gentleness and sobriety, 
of intellectual subordination and divine control. If an 
easy-going, flaccid indifference were the full measure 
of the Master's meaning here, it were an easy one to 
attain to. An overindulgence in poppy juice or a quaffed 
goblet of hashish, and lo, the trick were done. I appre- 
hend, however, that we have done little other than 
fumble idly until we have come to recognize that the 
characteristic of meekness is a positive attribute instead 
of a negative one; that it means to lay hold of some- 
thing — to be something — rather than cessation of being. 



28 TRAINING TO TEACH 

If history attests one thing more clearly than an- 
other, it would seem to be the complete vindication of 
the ideals of Jesus. Thus, law has taken the place of 
caprice. Absolutism is a fossil. The divine right of 
kings has been relegated to the junk-heap. War and 
bloodshed, treason and intrigue are no longer the things 
by which we estimate a people's life; instead, schools, 
churches and comfortable homes, together with the en- 
nobling and uplifting services of the plain people ren- 
dered to their fellows through so many channels the 
globe around, are the things that are rising resplendent 
in the horizon, and which are so many evidences that 
the Christ ideal — the Christ dreams — are slowly but 
surely coming true. Thomas A. Boyer, 

Oakland, Cal. Pastor First Christian Church. 



PEACE 

It does not depend upon outward conditions. The 
cause of unrest is within. Peace means oneness with 
God, the life adjusted to the forces that make for peace. 
The kingdom of God is love, joy, peace. To know God 
is to love him, and to love him is to be brought into 
an atonement with him, and in him we find peace. 

"God says that the peace of a man who loves him 
shall flow like a river ; and if ours is not such, it is be- 
cause its springs are not in Mount Zion — because its 
sources are the marshes and lowlands and not the crystal 
fountains of the hills. This peace shall not be like a 
shower falling with temporary abundance, but like the 
river which flows to the cottage door — always full and 
always singing. The man hears it when he rises in the 
morning, he hears it in the quiet noon, he hears it when 
the sun goes down, and if he wakes in the night, its sound 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 29 

is in his ear. It was there when he was a child ; it was 
there when he grew up to manhood; it was there when 
he was an old man. It will murmur by his grave upon 
its banks, and sing and flow for his children after him. 

"It is to such a river that God likens the divine bounty 
of peace given to his people. 

"How little do we know of this peace of God! We 
deem ourselves happy if we have one serene hour out of 
the twenty- four; and if now and then there comes a 
Lord's Day which is balm at morning and sweetness 
through the still noon and benediction at evening, we 
count it a rare and blessed experience. 

The child frightened in his play runs to seek his 
mother. She takes him upon her lap and presses his 
head to her bosom, and with tenderest words of love 
she looks down upon him and smooths his hair and kisses 
his cheek and wipes away his tears. And then, in a low, 
gentle voice, she sings some sweet descant, some lullaby 
of love, and the fear fades out from his face and the 
smile of satisfaction fills his soul. Such is God's peace 
that passeth all understanding." 

T. W. Pinkerton. 



THE BIBLE 

Lesson: Isaiah 55. 
Introduction. — The Bible comes to man in his sin, 
sorrow and darkness, to offer him what he has never 
been able to find elsewhere. With world-wide, age-long, 
incessant search, humanity has never found any other 
remedy for sin. It is enough for us to know that the 
Bible has never failed man in his despair and darkness. 
There is not one broken promise on its pages. That the 
volume is the gift of God to his creatures is seen : 



30 TRAINING TO TEACH 

1. In the marvel of its construction. The traveler 
who gazes upon the Brooklyn Bridge, thronged with its 
mighty volume of traffic, sees in it the design of the 
architect and the skill of the builder. Each cable, 
anchor, brace, girder, span, archway, forms a part of 
the plan for crossing the dark waters beneath. So with 
the Bible. It is a wonderful bridge which spans the 
turbulent river of time. Each book from Genesis to 
Revelation forms a part of that perfect bridge by which 
the human race moves across from one eternity to the 
other. The doubter may refuse to use the bridge, but 
his refusal will not destroy its foundation. 

2. In the miracle of its preservation. The presence 
of the Bible in the world to-day is the miracle of the 
ages. No other book ever met with such opposition; no 
other book ever had such a victorious career. Rome, 
Greece, paganism, Judaism, Mohammedanism, pride, 
greed, criticism and infidelity have all gone down before 
its progress. No one can add to all of the foolish things 
that have been said about the Bible. It has been hated, 
misrepresented, doubted and condemned, but it still 
moves on through history as the foremost of all books. 
God has preserved it to carry out his holy purpose among 
men. The Bible is still saying: 

"Books may come and books may go, 
But I go on forever." 

3. In the majesty of its story. Where else in the 
literature of the world is there to be found a story so 
beautiful, so true, so full of meaning for all who read? 
It was written by a group of men who lived in an age 
when colleges and universities were unknown. Not one 
of them claimed any superior literary attainments for 
himself in telling his message of God and salvation. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 31 

What author in any age has written any other book to 
compare with the shortest of the Bible books? With 
a divine purpose in mind, these thirty-five or forty men 
who gave the Bible to the world wrote a word-portrait- 
ure of God, Christ, eternity and man which bears the 
marks of the most perfect harmony from beginning to 
end, and that word-picture is of such purity, simplicity 
and holiness that it challenges the best within all who 
look upon it. The Bible story is so infinitely massive 
and sublime that the master-minds of all ages have been 
compelled to study it in wonder. God only could be the 
author of such a volume. Ebal E. Violett. 



service 

Text. — "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and 
him only shall thou serve." — Matt. 4: 10. 

Worship and service — the two things named in this 
verse — are intended to comprehend the entire conduct of 
every genuine Christian. 

Worship comprehends all those thoughts, feelings, 
purposes, words and deeds, omissions and commissions 
which have direct reference to God. All those things 
in which the human life has direct transactions with the 
divine life. 

Service comprehends all those thoughts, feelings, 
purposes, words and deeds, omissions and commissions 
which, while done in the name of the Lord, yet have 
direct reference to some other being or beings than God. 
Acts of service may have direct reference to oneself, 
to other human beings, or even to beings of lower or 
higher orders than man. It is essential to an act of 
worship or service that it be voluntary, or self -direct or 
at least self-controlled. All involuntary or merely func- 



32 TRAINING TO TEACH 

tional or automatic actions are not properly embraced in 
human conduct. We worship God by doing to him and 
for him what he would like to have us do ; we serve God 
by doing to others and for others than God what God 
would like to have us do. So that in all our voluntary 
conduct we must make his will our will, that his will 
may be done in us, through us and by us, even as it is 
done in heaven. When I present my gift on the Lord's 
Day, when the offering is received that is worship if done 
for God ; when I give something to a poor widow, doing 
my act to please the Lord and to aid her, that is service ; 
and the same line of division runs through all true volun- 
tary conduct. Hence the worship of God and the service 
of God comprehend the sum total of a Christian's con- 
duct. Hall Laurie Calhoun. 



WORK 

There are few teachings of the Scriptures, I think, 
concerning which we have more need to exercise a care 
lest we should allow them to escape us altogether, than 
those that relate to the fact of work. 

In some unaccountable way the idea has obtained 
that work — the necessity of actively identifying our- 
selves with the problem of the world's maintenance — is 
a plagiarism and a fraud. In a word, that it is a situa- 
tion that is contrary to the original intent and purpose of 
God; that such moieties as food and clothing, and 
friendly shelter from impending storm, should someway 
come to us in harmony with the prearranged purpose of 
the universe, without human sweat or dint of personal 
effort at all. 

It is not so, however. The idea of work — of achieve- 
ment by means of personal effort — instead of being an 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 33 

afterthought, a situation superimposed by virtue of the 
fall, is clearly one of the most fundamental of all the 
underlying principles of the creation. Thus, in Gen. 2: 
15, long before there is any record of defalcation on 
man's part, or a single cloud in the sky, it is clearly 
announced, as part of the divine program, that man was 
to "dress and keep" the garden in which he was placed. 

Work may be said to be an identification of our 
human lives with the life of God — a partaking of the 
divine nature. Thus, in John 5 : 17, Jesus says, "My 
Father worketh hitherto, and I work." Again, 1 Cor. 
12:6, "And there are diversities of operations, but it 
is the same God which worketh all in all." And still 
again, in 1 Cor. 3:9 it is declared that "we are laborers 
together with God." 

The fact of the matter is that, to the right-seeing 
and right- feeling sort of a man, identification with the 
creative forces of the world is a great privilege — a 
supreme and joyous privilege ; and whenever such identi- 
fication is clustered about and beclouded with other 
thoughts and emotions, it is evidence that there is either 
bad air, unwholesome food, improperly severe labor, or 
erring habits of life. Thomas A. Boyer, 

Oakland, Cal. Pastor First Christian Church. 



WHAT IS THE HEART? 

Text. — "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall 
see God." — Matt. 5 : 8. 

introduction. 

1. Rom. 3:23; cf. Eccl. 7:20. All have sinned, 
therefore all need the heart purified. 

2. Prov. 2y : 19. All have hearts alike, therefore all 
need the same purification. 



34 TRAINING TO TEACH 

3. Prov. 15 : 11 ; cf. Acts 1 : 24. God knows the con- 
dition of all hearts, therefore we can not hide it from 
him. 

THE HUMAN HEART. 

1. Thinks (Gen. 6:5) -\ 

2. Understands (Prov. 8:5) I The Intellect. 

3. Believes (Rom. 10: 10) ) 

1. Desires (Rom. 10: 1) -x _ u 

T ,,, ^ N / lhe Sensibilities. 

2. Loves (Matt. 22:37) [ FeeH 

3. Trusts (Prov. 3:5) ) reeun s s - 

1. Intends (Heb. 4: 12) -n 

2. Purposes (2 Cor. 9:7) (- The Will. 

3. Obeys (Rom. 6: 17) J 

The above outline makes it plain that the human 
heart, according to the Bible, embraces all of man's 
inner or spiritual nature — in fact, all of the person ex- 
cept the physical body — and since out of the heart are 
the issues of life, the body itself will be controlled by 
the heart. Hall Laurie Calhoun. 



THE BATTLE OF THE BOTTLE 

There are three activities in the world of affairs — 
business, charity and crime. Charity has service with 
no profit, crime has profit with no service, business has 
service and profit. Measured by this standard, the liquor 
traffic is a crime. It has profit without service. 

Drunkenness results when liquor and the drinker get 
together, with the liquor inside of the drinker. The 
process by which the liquor gets inside of the drinker 
is twofold : internal revenue and the license system. 
Both are criminal. Instead of encouraging the manu- 
facture of alcoholic beverages, the Government should 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 35 

discourage it. Instead of granting a license to sell it, the 
Government should prohibit it. There are two ways of 
dealing with this matter : First, take the man away from 
the saloon. Second, take the saloon away from the man. 
Both are important. 

THE AIMS OF GOVERNMENT. 

The aims of government are the protection of life 
and the security of property. Emerson says: "The 
theory of politics, which has possessed the minds of men 
and which they have expressed the best they could in 
their laws and in their revolutions, considers persons 
and property as the two objects for whose protection 
government exists." Persons and property must be pro- 
tected. For this reason we have recoined the law of the 
Almighty and have said, "Thou shalt not kill;" "Thou 
shalt not steal." 

THE WILL OF THE GOVERNMENT. 

The Government expresses its will in law. Black- 
stone says: "Municipal law is a rule of civil conduct 
prescribed by the supreme power in the state, command- 
ing what is right and prohibiting what is wrong." This 
applies to city ordinances, legislative enactments and 
Congressional laws. The Government must command 
the right and prohibit the wrong. 

THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC STEALS AND KILLS. 

It can be shown very easily that the liquor traffic 
both steals and kills. 

It steals from the legitimate channels of trade. It 
steals from the laboring man. It steals from the farmer. 
It steals from the Government. 

It kills. It kills seven hundred thousand in America 
alone every year. It kills as many people in America 



36 TRAINING TO TEACH 

every year, according to the report of the War College, 
as have been killed in battle in twenty-three hundred 
years. It kills the body, poisons the mind and corrupts 
the soul. It murders men, slaughters children and slaves 
women. 

THE ATTITUDE OF GOVERNMENT. 

There can be but one attitude of the Government 
towards a traffic of this kind. The Government must 
say to the liquor traffic, as it says to the ordinary thief, 
"Thou shalt not steal." It must say to the liquor traffic, 
as it says to the ordinary murderer, "Thou shalt not kill." 

CONCLUSION. 

The purpose of Government is the protection of life 
and the security of property. The Government expresses 
its will only in law. The law must command the right 
and prohibit the wrong. It is easy to see, therefore, 
that the Government should have a policy of positive, 
absolute and unqualified prohibition toward the manu- 
facture and sale of alcoholic beverages. 

It has been shown that there are three stages in re- 
form. "Good laws grow; bad laws are made." The 
three stages of reform are agitation, education and legis- 
lation. First, agitate, create sentiment. Second, educate, 
teach the people how to direct this sentiment. Third, 
legislate, then they will express the sentiment in law. 

H. H. Peters. 



FAITH 

Faith is a dear word to the believer's heart. It makes 
real that which is shadowy and seeming, and enables 
us to bear with fortitude the bufferings of life, confident 
that our good Father does nothing except that which is 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 37 

best for his struggling children. Faith is the soul's 
response to the call of God; it is the first step in the 
home-coming of the soul. 

With faith goes the thought of committal to the care 
of God, the Father and Shepherd of our souls. Abraham 
left his home, people and native land, and went into a 
country with no assurance except the promises of God. 
If faith stops short of obedience, it shows lack of confi- 
dence in God, which always leads to ruin. Such faith 
needs strength, and this comes by a study of the Word 
and prayer. 

Perfect faith relieves the heart of much anxiety as 
to the future. We are told to cast all our anxiety upon 
Him, for He cares for us. If God cares for the spar- 
rows that flutter about the eaves, surely he cares for us 
and will guide us if we will commit our ways to him. 

We may not reach this serene state of mind in the 
beginning. It may come after years of close communion 
with God. Certain it is that we should not be disap- 
pointed if the beginning days of our service are stormy 
and the way clouded ; nor should our faith waver if our 
prayers are not answered in the way we have mapped 
out, for, in his own good time and way, God will give us 
that which is best. 

Our faith should not be blind save as the curtains 
of Providence hide the future. There are many things 
which we could know were we to put forth the effort 
necessary to find them out. Constant prayer and study 
of the Bible increases faith and knowledge. It is the 
best food for the growth of the Christian life. 

Faith becomes real as we approach the bounds of 
life, just as the sound of the billows grows more distinct 
as the traveler draws near the sea; the veil that hides 
the future becomes thinner and the voices of the other 



38 TRAINING TO TEACH 

world grow more distinct; death is robbed of its terror 
and the departing soul leans heavily upon the everlasting 
arms of Him whom he has believed. In holy confidence 
we may sing : 

"Joy* joy, my work is done; 
Earth is lost and heaven won." 

Nashville, Tenn. Jas. T. McKissick. 



TEMPERANCE 

Intemperance dates back to Noah, since which time 
it has been world-wide, and to-day the conditions are 
alarming. Not so alarming, however, in rural districts 
and villages as in cities and industrial centers ; especially 
in the presence of such an industrial revolution as has 
been taking place within the last fifty years. Electricity, 
railways, telephone, telegraph and the press bring men 
into closer relations ; nations are brought into closer con- 
tact; a man thinks, and by pressing a key his thoughts 
leap across the ocean to another; he can talk across the 
continent or seas to his neighbor as well as across the 
back-yard fence. Such industrial reform as this has 
increased competition, intensified the stress of life, and 
men of modern life are compelled to live a strenuous 
life indeed. The farmer who works out in the open, 
pure air keeps himself healthy and in good nervous trim, 
while the man in the office or factory works long hours 
each day where the air is impure and devitalized, and 
thus the nervous system is not sufficiently fed to keep it 
from exhaustion, and this causes an artificial craving for 
stimulus, and in the city he has every opportunity, yea, 
temptation, to gratify this craving, while the farmer, if 
he would gratify his craving for liquor, must drive miles 
or send a mail order for the article desired. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 39 

Intemperance is important in its relation to industry. 
If the farmer gets drunk, he injures himself or his 
family, chiefly ; while if the mechanic, engineer or switch- 
man gets drunk, he wrecks a mill or a passenger train 
and imperils life. As the industrial problem grows in 
importance, so can we expect intemperance to become 
likewise more common and destructive unless preventive 
measures are adopted. 

In this age, when things are rapidly happening, men 
are quick to look for the cause, and so they have looked 
for the cause of so much crime as exists to-day, and 
have found that the cause of the major portion is in- 
temperance, and men who have given the matter a 
minute of thought have decided that it is better to strike 
at the cause than at the effect; that it is better to stop 
making criminals than to punish criminals, or try to 
reform them. Years ago a temperance reform wave 
swept over this country, and the propelling power was 
"moral suasion." Thousands of drunkards were re- 
formed, but others were being continually made, so the 
reformers decided it would be better to stop the making 
of drunkards than to try to reform them, so they began 
to strike at the cause. Attention was turned to legisla- 
tive reform, laws were petitioned for, and constitutional 
prohibition sought, and much effort of late has been 
along political lines, and while the cause has progressed 
in a zigzag fashion, yet it has rapidly progressed. 

The objection raised to temperance laws is a natural 
one ; viz. : "Prohibition does not prohibit." You may as 
well say education does not educate, or that Christianity 
does not Christianize. It is true that legislatures have 
enacted laws which were not the outcome of matured 
principles and plans, but the outcome of a high wave of 
enthusiasm, and when the enthusiasm subsided, officials 



40 TRAINING TO TEACH 

became lax, and laws were not enforced; but public 
conviction will be strong" and active when private con- 
viction is so, and what is needed now, where good laws 
are enacted, is a campaign of moral suasion to make 
sentiment effective. 

The liquor traffic is the greatest known foe to the 
church of any of the devil's diabolical allies. It sends 
nearly as many souls to hell each year as the church saves. 
The church and the saloon can not both work successfully, 
at the same time, on the same man, and it is a pretty 
safe statement to make, that if the saloon gets hold of a 
man first, the church has a poor chance to save him. 
In view of the above facts, no Christian — man or woman 
— should ever stop up his or her mouth with a wine- 
glass or a wet ballot. 

The devil through the saloon works 365^4 days per 
year, putting in twenty- four hours per day, and the 
church can be safe here in imitating — and here only — 
the example of the saloon; but the church is not so 
diligent, and, after all, it does not matter so much if 
each Christian voter will only work right one day in the 
year as he has opportunity. The trouble seems that 
Christian men do not seem to appreciate how they hook 
up with the Government, or, rather, that they are the 
Government. A trolley car runs because it is hooked 
up with power. In its case there is the power-house; in 
it the dynamo, it makes the power; turn on the current, 
put on the trolley and the old car moves. 

As regards the Government, the voter is the power- 
house, his mind is the dynamo; here is the origin of the 
power — turn on the current with a pencil in the booth, 
hook on the trolley at the ballot-box, and the old Govern- 
ment car moves. She has been moving in the wrong 
direction ; now what we must do is to shut off the power, 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 41 

reverse, turn on the power, and keep in the middle of the 
King's highway. 

Let the church preach temperance sermons, teach 
temperance lessons, create moral sentiment and vote tem- 
perance ballots. She must work, zvatch, pray. 

Georgetown, O. Sam. W. Crabtree. 



THE BIBLE 

(2 Pet. 1:21.) 

REASONS FOR BELIEVING IT TO BE FROM GOD. 

1. I am, therefore God is, for man could not have 
created himself. I speak, therefore God spake, for man 
could never have spoken had he not have been spoken 
to. If God is, and I am his offspring, he must have 
given me a revelation of himself. Nature may reveal a 
Creator, but it takes a Bible to reveal a Father. This 
Book is the mirror of divinity. We are astonished at 
the majesty of its contents. It is the secret of our 
civilization. It is the key that unlocks all mysteries. It 
is read by more people than any other book extant ; it is 
translated into more languages than any other book. It 
tells of man as he was, as he is, and as he shall be. 

2. Its style. Its conciseness, frankness, its person- 
ality and individuality. It can be translated into all 
languages, and yet it retains its personality and indi- 
viduality. This is true of no other book. Why is it 
true of the Bible? It is a universal Father talking to 
his universal family. 

3. It can not be destroyed. Jesus said : "Heaven and 
earth shall pass away, but my words shall never pass 
away." Like the bush that burned with fire and yet was 
not consumed. God was in it. God is in the Bible. 
Infidels try to destroy it; they die and are soon for- 



42 TRAINING TO TEACH 

gotten, but this Book continues to live. It has come 
down to us floating upon a sea of blood; every page has 
been stained with the life-blood of martyrs. 

4. Its uniqueness. Suppose the President should 
issue an order calling upon men in all parts of the world 
to come to Washington City on the 25th of December, 
each bringing a piece of marble he had quarried from 
a quarry in his own country. The order is obeyed, and 
when all of the men arrive in the city and begin to place 
their blocks it is found, when they are done, that a 
magnificent temple has been erected, and without the 
use of chisel, hammer or saw — what would be the con- 
clusion? That each man must have worked under the 
direction of one master workman. The Bible is a great 
literary and spiritual temple in which God is enthroned. 
It is composed of sixty-six blocks of divine truth, selected 
by forty workmen during a period of fifteen hundred 
years; men who labored, separated from each other as 
regards time and place. How could it be? Holy men of 
old spake as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance. All 
of the combined goodness with all of the combined wis- 
dom of all of the combined ages could not have pro- 
duced it. It can never be improved upon. If any one 
who denies this statement believes he can, let him do 
it and it will be a master-stroke. 

5. Its influence: Literature, society, nations, indi- 
viduals. Protestantism is better than Roman Catholi- 
cism because the people get closer to God's word. 

6. Internal proofs: Prophecy is the miracle of the 
present age. ( See Deut. 28 : 48-58 ; Jer. 30 : 16 ; 30 : 1 1 : 
31:36, 37; Deut. 28:37, 48-58; Jer. 31:36, 37.) The 
Jew is the miracle of the times. The writers were in- 
spired and the Book is the product of inspiration. 

7. It is not a work on theology, but an invitation 






A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 43 

from our Father to come home. It is the way-bill telling 
us how to get to our home. 

It is the universal library. Do you want to study 
astronomy? Then behold the "Bright and the Morning 
Star." Do you want to study botany? Then read about 
the "Rose of Sharon" or the "Lily of the Valley." Do 
you want to know more about geology ? Then investigate 
the "Rock of Ages." Do you want to know about 
zoology? Then take a look at the "Lion of the tribe of 
Judah." W. H. Book. 

Columbus, Ind. 



GIVING 

Giving is called, in the New Testament, a grace. 
"As ye abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and 
knowledge, and in all earnestness, and in your love to 
us, see that ye abound in this grace also" (2 Cor. 8:7). 
Six times in this one chapter it is called a grace. It is 
a much-neglected grace. It has been referred to as "the 
lost beatitude." The apostle once wrote : "And remem- 
ber the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more 
blessed to give than to receive." 

Who should give? "Each one of you" (1 Cor. 16: 
2). God deals with us individually. The hairs of each 
head are numbered. Each man who received talents had 
to give a personal account. Each one must believe for 
himself, repent for himself, confess Christ for himself, 
be baptized for himself, pray for himself, give an account 
for himself. Why should he not give for himself? The 
givers in each church should include every name on the 
church roll. 

When should we give? "On the first day of the 
week." This is the day for the Lord's Supper, for song, 



44 TRAINING TO TEACH 

for prayer, for the sermon. Why not for our giving? 
It thus becomes an act of worship. It is said that in 
heathen countries the worshiper makes an offering every 
time he enters the temple, even if it be many times a day. 
With him it is a vital part of his worship. It would cure 
our financial troubles if we made it an act of worship 
also. 

How much should be given? "As he may prosper." 
God would not have some eased and others burdened. 
We should give on a sliding scale, according to ability. 
The old covenant required a tenth. This is not com- 
manded in the New Testament. It would seem that we 
ought not to do less. The teaching and example of 
Jesus indicates that we are to regard ourselves as stew- 
ards, and that all we have and are belong to him and 
all is to be used to his glory. It thus becomes a question, 
not of how much we ought to give, but of how much 
we ought to keep. It is not so much a matter of rule 
as of principle. "For ye know the grace of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes 
he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be- 
come rich.' 1 When his love once takes possession of us, 
and we "first give ourselves to him," then we will not 
be troubled by the question, "How much should I give?" 
We will then give according to our power, yea, and be- 
yond our power, just as the Corinthians did. Our gifts 
will be in such abundance that, as in the days of Moses, 
the church will have enough and more, so that we would 
need to be exhorted to stop our gifts. 

In what spirit should we give? First, "thought- 
fully." "In store." We will think it all out, and deter- 
mine what we will do and then do it. Too much of our 
giving is from emotion and impulse instead of deliberate 
conclusion. This is shown from so many pledges that 






A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 45 

are made under a stirring appeal on some great occasion 
that are never paid. Most churches that are dedicated 
out of debt have to be rededicated a time or two more 
before the final debt is canceled. Second, "voluntarily." 
"Lay it by." It should be done by free will. "My people 
shall be a willing people in the day of my power." If 
we try to force people to pay, we might as well force 
them to pray, sing or make confession. Love should 
move us more than law. Third, "cheerfully." "Pros- 
per." Give as a return for what God has done for us. 
"God loveth a cheerful [i. e., a hilarious] giver." We 
ought to feel like a playful boy when we drop our offer- 
ing in. 

When we thus follow God's plan of giving to the 
Lord's treasury, we shall make it a grace in which we 
will grow till we finally abound in it as we do in faith 
and other graces. And thus we will become like our 
Lord, who gave his all for you and me. 

W. F. Turner. 



LONGSUFFERING 

(Gal. 5:22.) 

Introduction. — 1. The entrance into the Christian 
life is the effect of an act of submission to divine au- 
thority. 

2. The cause of certain characteristics being devel- 
oped by which this life may be distinguished. 

Among the many characteristics produced, none is 
more important to healthy Christian living than that of 
longsuffering. 

Definition: "Bearing injuries or provocation for a 
long time. Patient ; not easily provoked." — Webster. 

I. Longsuffering, a result of trial. 



46 TRAINING TO TEACH 

It can and does only manifest itself under difficulties. 
It is a characteristic which only trials produce. 

A man who never meets difficulties will never have 
this quality developed. 

There are causes common to every man, requiring 
longsuffering. 

There are peculiar individual causes. 

That which may be a trial for me, and require me to 
practice the virtue of longsuffering, may for another 
have an entirely different effect. 

Again, there are, or may arise, certain circumstances 
in life which call for longsuffering, when, under different 
conditions and at another time, they may in nowise be 
considered as trials, and hence not demand this charac- 
teristic to be shown. 

II. Longsuffering, a need: 
i. In the home. 

(i) Parent with child. 

Illustrated by the mother, her care for the infant dur- 
ing its many spells of sickness. 

Further, bearing patiently the harsh words of forget- 
ful and ungrateful children. 

(2) Children with aged and invalid parents. 

2. In local congregation : Toward the sensitive ; to- 
ward the " faultfinder ;" toward the weakling. 

III. Longsuffering, the fine art of Christian living. 

1. Because it demands the enduring of trials, un- 
complainingly and with a smile. For if we fret and com- 
plain when a cross comes into our lives, no longer can 
we claim the virtue of longsuffering. 

2. It sweetens the temper. 

3. In the practicing of it we learn to deal gently with 
the faults of others, for it 

(1) Softens criticism. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 47 

(2) Increases sympathy. 

Conclusion: Because of such great value, and of so 
great a need, we who desire to do for Christ and the 
world our very best, should ever endeavor to cultivate 
this virtue. It gives us an eternal grasp upon the soul. 
"In your patience possess ye your souls" (Luke 21 : 19). 

Columbus, O. C. N. Williams. 



LESSONS FROM THE RESURRECTION 

When Jesus was on earth he organized a real divinity 
school with a course embracing three and one-half years. 
The text-book was himself, a living personality. It was 
in the coasts of Caesarea Philippi that he gave the first 
test or examination. Up to this time his students had 
only been able to understand the temporal and material 
views of the kingdom. They must comprehend the 
spiritual significance. After his resurrection from 
among the dead he gives them a postgraduate course 
consisting of forty days, during which time he teaches 
them the spiritual significance of his kingdom, and at 
the end of this course, on the day of graduation, on 
Pentecost, fifty days after his resurrection and ten days 
after his ascension, he gives to them the diploma in the 
baptism of the Holy Spirit. 

This outline will have to do with lessons of the forty 
days. None of the school believed in Christ's resurrec- 
tion, and his demonstrations were to convince them that 
the Scriptures had been fulfilled in him and that he who 
was dead was then alive and forevermore. 

1. Looking for Jesus in the wrong place. — Matt. 28: 
5-8. They believed in a material Christ. They thought 
he was in the grave. How often we find ourselves going 
to the city of the dead, where we plant flowers on the 



48 TRAINING TO TEACH 

mounds of earth and water them with the tears from our 
eyes, and somehow feeling our loved ones are beneath 
the sod. No, beloved, they are not there. The grave 
can not hold the spirit. The body which has been de- 
posited in the earth is only the house in which the loved 
one lived when on earth. The women missed seeing 
Jesus at that time because they looked for him in the 
wrong place. Have we not often made this same 
blunder ? 

2. Trouble-borrowers. — Mark 16 : 3, 4. "Who shall 
roll us away the stone from the sepulchre?" When they 
came they found the stone had already been rolled away. 
It is not what actually happens in one's life that hurts ; 
it is what we expect will happen that never happens. It 
is not the revolution the wheel makes that wears it out, 
but it is the friction. Let us not cross the bridge before 
getting to it. 

3. They found Jesus when engaged in doing his work. 
— Matt. 28 : 7-9. You will not find Jesus when you are 
engaged in lingering around the tomb of your loved one. 
You shall find him, however, when you get out among 
the people where you can sympathize with them and tell 
them of a loving Saviour who suffered and died for 
them. When you make a heart glad by some kindly 
deed, then you may see Jesus. Then you may feel that 
the one you love and who is gone from you may be much 
nearer than you think. 

4. The unrecognized Guest. — Luke 24:13-17, 31. 
May it not be that Christ came to you in the person of 
that poor widow or orphan child who came begging for 
bread or clothing? You thought her a tramp and turned 
her away. May it not be that Jesus came to you in the 
person of that sick one who needed attention, and you 
refused to minister by saying, "The lodges or the Board 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 49 

of Charities can attend to this; I have other things to 
attend to"? It was Jesus who stood at your door in 
tattered garments, hungry for bread, sick and in need of 
attention, and you did not recognize him. Listen: "As 
often as ye do it to one of the least of these, my disci- 
ples, ye do it unto me." 

5. He listens to our troubles. — Luke 24: 18-24. 
When on earth he said: "Come unto me, all ye that 
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 
When the disciples of John lost their leader who had 
been beheaded by the wicked king, they took up the body 
and buried it, and then went and told it all to Jesus. This 
same Jesus will help you to bear your troubles. He is 
our burden-bearer. Listen : "Cast your care upon him, 
for he careth for you." 

6. He is interested in the weak disciples. — Mark 16: 
7. Peter had denied him as many as three times, but 
Jesus knew his heart. He knew what Peter wanted to 
be. He knows our hearts. He is concerned about us. 
This same Jesus, who had called Peter from his nets to 
be his disciple, thinks of him after death and tells the 
women to tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before 
into Galilee ; and there he shall be seen of them. 

7. He is interested in our toil and is the laboring man's 
friend. — John 21 : 1-12. He is the best friena the labor- 
ing man ever had. He watches him as he is engaged in 
honest toil. He knows when he is being oppressed, and 
sympathizes with him. He wants him to succeed. When 
the toiler will honor him and obey his command, he 
shall be made to prosper. Let us not forget to take him 
into our plans. Let him be the silent partner. 

8. He gives the constitution of his kingdom. — Matt. 
28: 19, 20; Mark 16: 15, 16; Luke 24:46-50; John 20: 
19-23. This is his ultimatum. In this constitution may 



50 TRAINING TO TEACH 

be found the conditions of membership. No apostle 
dare change these conditions, much less any man of later 
date. 

9. Results. — Acts 2 : 1-47. He had promised that the 
apostles should do greater works than he did in some 
of his miracles. On the day of Pentecost, in the very 
city which had witnessed his humiliation, his apostles 
preach his resurrection, and the very men who killed him 
become obedient and the church comes into existence. 
The fact became notorious in all Judea; it was reported 
to the Roman Senate; was recorded among the acts of 
Pilate ; was discussed in Athens and Corinth ; was alluded 
to by Tacitus and Pliny ; conceded as historic by Celsus 
and Porphyry; was mentioned in the writings of Jose- 
phus. For nearly two thousand years it has cheered the 
souls of men and flooded the grave with immortal light. 
It has opened the eyes of poor old, blind Africa, and 
to-day it is the glad and cheering note in the gospel of 
Christ; for if Christ died and rose again, even so also 
shall those who sleep in Jesus come forth, and we shall 
be caught up together with them in the clouds, and shall 
ever be with our Lord. W. H. Book. 

Columbus, Ind. 



LONGSUFFERING 

Moses, in revealing God to his discouraged brethren, 
said: "The Lord God is merciful and gracious, long- 
suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth." 

Longsuffering is the one word that carries with it the 
atmosphere of mercy, graciousness, goodness and truth. 
It is patience long drawn out. It is life's reprieve for 
the shortcomings of our common humanity. It gives us 
a chance to come into possession of the things that are 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 51 

worth while. It is saturated with love which suffers 
long and is kind, it doth not behave itself unseemly. 
It is not easily provoked, but pleadingly appeals to 
the highest motive within us, leading us to a complete 
reconciliation with those from whom we have become 
estranged. It atones for sins of omission and commis- 
sion, yea, for presumptuous sins. It gets even with the 
other fellow by supplying him with the comforts of life, 
while he forgets to be just. 

Our Christianity must bear testimony of its divine 
Author. Its spirit must pulsate with heroic service. 
Our life will manifest a ''wisdom that is from above, and 
is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, 
full of mercy and good fruits, without variance, without 
hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in 
peace for them that make peace." 

Again, the grace of longsuffering does not preclude 
the idea of justice and judgment. While God withholds 
swift retribution from being visited upon those who 
transgress his divine law, yet, after he has given the 
transgressor a long time to place himself in right rela- 
tion to offended law, his justice must be satisfied, either 
by granting pardon to the penitent pleader, or a just 
reward for those who persist in lifting their selfhood 
against Godhood (2 Pet. 3: 1-7). 

The Macedonian king Alexander the Great, who, as 
in one triumphal march, conquered the world, observed 
a very singular custom in his method of carrying on war. 
Whenever he encamped with his army before a fortified 
city and laid siege to it, he caused to be set up a great 
lantern, which was kept lighted by day and night. This 
was a signal to the besieged. As long as the light burned 
they had time to save themselves by surrender, but when 
the light became extinguished, the city, and all that was 



52 TRAINING TO TEACH 

in it, would be irrevocably given over to destruction. 
And the conqueror kept his word with terrible consist- 
ency. When the light was put out, and the city was 
given up, all hope of mercy was over. The Macedonians 
stormed the place, and, if it were taken, all were cut to 
pieces who were capable of bearing arms, and there was 
no quarter or forgiveness possible. Now, it is the good 
pleasure of our God to have compassion and show mercy. 
However, a city or a people can arrive at such a condi- 
tion of moral corruption that the moral order of the 
world can only be saved by its destruction. The ax 
carried before the Roman consuls was always bound up 
in a bundle of rods. An old author tells us that "the 
rods were tied up with knotted cords, and that when an 
offender was condemned to be punished, the executioner 
would untie the knots one by one ; meanwhile the magis- 
trate would look the culprit in the face, to observe any 
signs of repentance and watch his words, to see if he 
could find a motive for mercy; and thus justice went to 
its work deliberately and without passion." The ax was 
enclosed in rods to show that the extreme penalty was 
never inflicted until milder means had failed; first the 
rod, and the ax only as a terrible necessity. 

Athens, O. E. D. Murch. 



GOODNESS 

Goodness is the world's great need. The church is a 
fountain to furnish a rich supply. Religion without it is 
valueless. It is at the very heart of Christianity, for it 
was the greatness of Christ and his followers, and, like 
God, it is immortal. 

It is uprightness of heart and life; it is moral in- 
tegrity ; it has been defined as kindness, benignity, benev- 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 53 

olence, graciousness. It is fruitage of the Spirit. It is 
truth expressed in a life of love. Christ was the perfect 
expression of divine goodness. One says : "Goodness is 
love in action, love with its hand at the plow, love with 
the burden on its back. It is love carrying medicine to 
the sick, and food to the famished. It is love reading the 
Bible to the blind, and explaining the gospel to the felon 
in his cell. It is love in the Sunday-school class or in the 
ragged school. It is love at the hovel door, or sailing- 
away in the missionary ship. But, whatever task it 
undertakes, it is still the same — love following His foot- 
steps 'who went about continually doing good: '' 

The source of all goodness is God. The Psalmist 
says: "The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord," 
and "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his good- 
ness, and for his wonderful works to the children of 
men." Paul tells us it is the goodness of God that 
leadeth thee to repentance. The goodness of God begets 
goodness in men, causing them to forsake their sin. We 
are told that most beautiful arrow-heads of moss agate 
are scattered all over our continent by the Indians of the 
Southwest, who gathered them in Calcedony Park in 
Arizona. They all came from the same petrified trees 
in Calcedony Park. So the beautiful gems and jewels of 
character called goodness, kindness, benignity, benevo- 
lence and moral integrity all come from the same source, 
even God, whether substituted for Christianity by the 
unbelieving, or are the natural adornment of the Chris- 
tian life. 

Goodness is always self-forgetful. It proposes happi- 
ness for others, and not self-development. It is im- 
mortal, indestructible and has an everlasting and ever- 
widening influence. Goodness expressed in life made 
Christ immortal. Goodness in our lives is that which 



54 TRAINING TO TEACH 

enriches the world and makes for us an eternal monu- 
ment. Let us meditate long upon the goodness of our 
God! W. A. Harp. 

Cleveland, O. 

THE LORD'S SUPPER 

No hour is so sacred in all of the days as the hour 
that we spend at the Lord's table face to face with the 
problem of the cross. 

The place the Lord's Supper holds in our hearts will 
largely depend on our consciousness of having been re- 
deemed from our sins by the sacrifice of Christ. 

The cross of Christ, of which the Lord's Supper is 
the memorial, stands in the midst of the ages as the 
supreme pledge of God's love. Somewhere in the uni- 
verse there is an infinite Heart that loves us even unto 
death. 

It stands for God's sacrifice for sin. He is the Lamb 
of God. No man should dare approach the Lord's table 
except in the deepest humility and with a profound sense 
of his need of a Saviour. 

There ought to be real preparation. Let no soul rush 
thoughtlessly into the presence of the supreme tragedy 
of the ages ; the place and the hour and the issues are 
too momentous for thoughtlessness and unpreparedness. 

There is no part of our service that is so essential to 
our spiritual life as the communion service, and those 
who neglect it die spiritually. 

We have in this memorial the human cry of Jesus, 
"Do this in remembrance of me" — the cry of his human 
heart. He craved to be remembered. This is the pas- 
sionate cry of every sensitive human soul. 

This service is not a duty, but a holy privilege. We 
would not lightly esteem the word "duty," but we put 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 55 

the commemoration of our Lord's suffering and death 
upon a higher plane. 

Faith and hope and love are strangely mingled here. 
Faith in him whose sacrificial death releases us from sin. 
Love for him who, in his suffering and death, gave to us 
full measure of his great love. Hope "till he come." 
Sometime and somewhen we shall see him as he is. 

Kenton, O. T. W. Pinkerton. 



IMPERIAL SERVICE 

"For ye serve the Lord Christ." — Col. 3 : 24. 

Introduction. — Everything in the universe performs 
some service. The particles of dust that float in the air 
help us to feast our eyes upon the gorgeous colorings of 
the western sky. The mineral substance serves the vege- 
table. The vegetable sustains the life of the animal. 
The lower animal serves man. "The Son of man came 
not to be ministered unto, but to minister," and God 
himself provides for all their meat in due season. 
Heaven is blest, not by perfect rest, but by being a place 
"where his servants shall serve him." This great law of 
service reaches from the least particle of common dust 
up to God. It is physical and it is spiritual. In man, in 
whom the physical and spiritual unite, the law of service 
should find its noblest fulfillment. Of necessity man 
serves ; God made all his creatures that way. But man 
may choose whom he will serve and the sort of service 
he will render. 

I. Choose the best master. It was true of certain 
Colossians that they served the Lord Christ. That was 
the very best thing that could have been said about 
them. They had chosen a Master who inspired them to 
do their best ; who gave them strength for their weakness 

(3) 



56 TRAINING TO TEACH 

and joy for their sorrow. To wear the livery of the 
King, to be a worthy servant of the Lord Christ, is the 
proudest distinction any man may have. He does not 
drive, He leads; He does not scold, He encourages. 

II. Choose the loftiest form of service. When his 
son was appointed to a position of high political honor, 
Wm. Carey said sadly: "Felix has dwindled into a mere 
ambassador." He might have been in an obscure corner 
of India burning out his life for Christ — that had been 
vastly more worth while. Our Lord spurned the thought 
of gaining possession of all the kingdoms of the world by 
serving the devil. But to see the possibilities of infinite 
worth beaming from the face of a little child, to make the 
chamber of approaching death a place of joy unutterable, 
to bear the burden of others' sins and sorrows, and by his 
own crucifixion to bring in the reign of peace and love 
and hope for all the world — this was his meat and drink. 
And to help Him in accomplishing this task is the service 
He has allotted us. How cheap and unsatisfying and 
unworthy is every form of service when compared with 
this. Oh, do not turn aside from this imperial service. 
"Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least 
of these my little ones, you have done it unto me." 
Christ's representatives are everywhere. Serve them. 
Life holds for you no other privilege half so great. 

III. Choose the greatest reward. The Master whom 
we are called to serve has riches untold. No robber can 
take from us the reward He gives ; no rust can corrupt it. 
It beautifies the character of his servant, it clarifies hope, 
it makes life on earth a foretaste of heaven. This joy 
that is the reward of Christ's servant continues through 
eternity. "Blessed are they that do his commandments, 
that they may have right to the tree of life, and may 
enter in through the gates into the city." 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 57 

Christ has set us this example, that we should serve 
God by serving men: 

"I worked for men," my Lord will say 

When we meet at the end of the King's highway. 
"I walked with the beggar along the road, 

I kissed the bondsman stung by the goad, 

I bore my half of the porter's load. 

And what did you?" my Lord will say, 
"As you traveled along the King's highway?" 

"I made life sweet," my Lord will say 

When we meet at the end of the King's highway. 
"I smoothed the path where the thorns annoy, 

I gave the mother back her boy, 

I mended the children's broken toj'. 

And what did you?" my Lord will say, 
"As you traveled along the King's highway?" 

"I showed men God," my Lord will say, 

"As I traveled along the King's highway. 
I eased the sister's troubled mind, 
I helped the blighted to be resigned, 
I showed the sky to the souls grown blind. 
And what did you?" my Lord will say, 
When we meet at the end of the King's highway. 

Youngstown, O. William Dunn Ryan. 



BROTHERLY KINDNESS 

"Let brotherly love continue." — Heb. 13: 1. The text 
has two words only. Let it be: "Philadelphia, abide." 
Narrate the founding of modern city Philadelphia. 

I. Philadelphia. The word occurs in four other 
places in the New Testament. 

Twice by Peter : 2 Pet. 1:7. It is sixth in the re- 
markable "scale of graces." Its company — its right-hand 
neighbor. 

1 Pet. 1:22. Here conversion ends in it (unto). It 



58 TRAINING TO TEACH 

is open, undisguised, opposite to hypocrisy (unfeigned). 
It is ardent, stretching towards its object (fervently) 
It is sincere (from the heart). 

Twice by Paul: i Thess. 4:9, 10. Paul declares it 
divinely enjoined (God taught it), commends its exten- 
sion (toward all the brethren), exhorts to its deepening 
(abound more and more — Rom. 12:10). Its ideal is 
reached when it is like the tender affection between child 
and parent, husband and wife. 

II. Abide. Some uses of this great word: John 15 — 
"abide" thirteen times, "remain" three times and "con- 
tinue" one time. 

If realized: Our union with God is secured (John 
15:9) ; our co-operation obtains (Gal. 6: 1, 2 and Jas. 
2:8; our testimony to those without effective (John 13: 

34, 35). 

Conclusion: 1 Corinthians 13 employs the greater 
"love" in the sense of "brotherly love." Let this poem 
breathe the benediction. W. E. Crabtree. 

San Diego, Cal. 



OUR UNANSWERED PRAYERS 

There is much of what is called prayer. Man has an 
instinctive recognition of One higher than himself, to 
whom he is accountable and with whom he is capable of 
fellowship. When dangers threaten and sorrows oppress 
and needs are sharp and great, he turns for help to this 
high and holy One. 

It is true that many prayers do not seem to be an- 
swered. The cloud which threatened, breaks ; the blow 
falls. He asks and receives not ; seeks, but does not find ; 
knocks until the hands are bruised and bleeding, and the 
door is not opened. Is it worth while to pray ? The old 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 59 

question in Job returns, "What is the Almighty that we 
should serve him, and what profit shall we have if we 
pray to him ?" 

The trouble may be because of an error upon our part 
as to the nature of prayer, or as to the conditions of 
acceptable prayer, or as to the results of prayer. 

1. Many regard prayer as synonymous with petition. 
Let us view the subject in the light of the filial relation. 
"I want a piece of bread!" "Give me a penny!" "Buy 
me some candy!" are requests heard frequently in the 
home. But this is not the sole or chief theme in the 
intercourse between parent and child. A better illustra- 
tion of prayer is that of the boy who came in and sat 
down quietly where his father was working. "Do you 
want anything, son?" "No, father, I only wanted to be 
with you." Prayer is not some magical formula for 
securing Heaven's treasures, it is not teasing God into 
granting something which may or may not be best for 
us. Prayer is communion. Prayer is adoration — the 
child's "I love you, mother." Prayer is confession — "I 
am sorry." Prayer is thanksgiving — "I thank you." 
Prayer, too, is petition. 

2. But God does not promise to answer our prayers 
unconditionally. If he did, it would mean that he would 
abdicate the throne, and in its place there would be set 
up every weak and whimsical and selfish human will. 
"If ye shall ask anything" is the promise, but the condi- 
tion (i) in my name. To collect money in the name of 
the Government is not to put the money into your own 
pocket. "It is to seek what He seeks, to aid in promoting 
what is dear to his heart." "In his name" is equivalent 
to "according to his will." "This is the boldness which 
we have toward him, that if we ask anything according 
to his will, he heareth us." We ask and receive not 



60 TRAINING TO TEACH 

because we ask amiss/' (2) Faith. I wrote a letter the 
other day — a request for a remittance. I watched for the 
postman every morning, and looked eagerly through the 
mail, until this particular letter came. I am afraid I do 
not do that with my prayers. Most of us are like the boy 
who rings the bell and runs away before the door is 
opened. Luther said: "What does it signify to have 
prayed, if you do not know what God says to it?" And 
Habbakuk: "I will stand upon the watch-tower, and 
watch and see what he will say." "And all things what- 
soever ye ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." 
"Without faith it is impossible to please God." (3) 
Then we must work as we pray. Daniel Quorm, an 
eccentric character, tells in his "Religious Notions" of 
stopping overnight with a gentleman who seemed to be 
a very pious kind of man. At family prayers in the 
morning he prayed that he might be kept from sin and 
have a childlike spirit, that he might have the mind of 
Christ, and that the love of God might be shed abroad 
in his heart by the Holy Ghost. But all that day Quorm 
heard him finding fault and scolding everybody in the 
house and field. At night he said, "You must be a very 
disappointed man." "Why so?" "This morning you 
prayed for the mind of Christ and the love of God, etc., 
and your prayer does not seem to have been answered." 
It was a favorite illustration of T. L. Cuyler that many 
prayers are like letters sent to the Dead-letter Office, some 
because they are not properly addressed, some because 
they contain improper matter, and others because they 
are not prepaid. 

3. Then we may be mistaken as to the results of 
prayer. The answer may be a delay and not a denial. 
As in the case of the Syrophoenician woman, the delay 
may be to test, develop and exemplify faith. When 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 61 

winds are contrary, He may not come till the fourth 
watch, but He will come. Sometimes the result may be 
the reverse of what we expect and yet the prayer be 
answered. Paul asked for the removal of "the thorn," 
but did not complain when there was granted him instead 
the "sufficient grace." Jesus prayed that the cup might 
pass away from him. God willed otherwise. Now "he 
sees of the travail of his soul and is satisfied." 

God delights to answer prayer. Let us think of 
prayer as Trench says : "Not an overcoming of God's 
reluctance, but as laying hold of his highest willingness." 
Recall the parable of the friend at midnight. If the 
surly and disobliging man would arise and give three 
loaves of bread to an importunate neighbor to stop his 
knocking, how much more will our Father, who never 
sleeps nor slumbers, from his bountiful store give good 
gifts to his children. Put God to the test, and learn, as 
Mr. Spurgeon says, "that he is better than our fears, 
better than our hopes, and, finally, better even than our 
wishes." Edward B. Bagby. 

Baltimore, Md. 



SALVATION 

Text. — "How shall we escape if we neglect so great 
salvation ?" — Heb. 2:3. 

There are passages of Scripture that have been so 
long and so often misapplied that, for most people, they 
have lost their original import and meaning. The text 
chosen for this homily is one of these. The reading of 
this question causes one to think of the unsaved among 
his acquaintance and to be anxious for their salvation, 
and yet if we apply those fundamental rules of interpre- 
tation, "Who speaks?" and "To whom?" we must at 



62 TRAINING TO TEACH 

once see that the writer had in mind only those Jews who 
had accepted Christ and were fellow-heirs with him in 
the kingdom. A little further on in the Epistle he desig- 
nates the persons addressed, in this language: "Where- 
fore, holy brethren, partakers of an heavenly calling." 
We may therefore read: "Wherefore, holy brethren, 
partakers of an heavenly calling, how shall we escape if 
we neglect so great salvation?" 

I. IMPORTANCE OF THIS THEME: SALVATION. 

This life is only a drop in the great ocean of exist- 
ence. True, these threescore and ten years are by no 
means to be despised. When it is remembered that 
Christian salvation has to do with the life that now is 
as well as with that which is to come, the appreciation 
of the question, "What must I do to be saved?" is much 
enhanced. How can I become enriched with this world's 
goods? How may I obtain an education? How may I 
gain and maintain a place in good society? How may 
I become free from debt? How may I get on in the 
world? These are, for the individual, interesting and 
important questions, but they do not compare in value 
with the problem of salvation. 

Whatever one may be in this life, whatever one may 
accomplish, if he fails to have part in the true riches, 
there must come a day when these things that are tem- 
poral must rise up to mock him. "What shall it profit 
a man if he gain the whole world and yet lose his own 
soul?" How shall we escape if we neglect so great 
salvation ? 

II. WHAT IS SALVATION? 

The angel of the Lord, speaking to Joseph in a dream 
concerning the birth of the Redeemer, said: "And he 
shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 63 

Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins." 
Note that the preposition is "from," not "in." Every 
rational human being must desire the joys of salvation, 
but many are unsaved because unwilling to be saved from 
sin. Christ Jesus came into the world to save from sin 
here as well as to present us in the end spotless in our 
Father's presence. "Unto you first, God having raised 
up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning every 
one of you away from his sins." The unsaved soul is 
sick unto death. The work of the great Physician is to 
make the sinsick soul spiritually well. 

To be saved is more than to be pardoned. Pardon 
is only an incident of salvation. A man might be par- 
doned and still have a corrupt heart, with all its evil 
desires. A thief may go out from prison walls with 
the official pardon in his hand, and at the same time be 
more confirmed in his desire and purpose to steal than 
when convicted and sentenced to servitude. Christian 
salvation is pardon for past offences, and more. It is 
victory over sin here and now. The more and longer 
one faithfully resists the tempter, the stronger he be- 
comes. Salvation in this sense is progressive. The 
further one gets away from indulgence, the less liable 
is he to be overcome. No one should be satisfied to 
spend the years of his life in bondage, since we have the 
promise of salvation from sin. To be free men in Christ 
Jesus should be the earnest longing of every heart. 

III. THE GOSPEL IS THE INSTRUMENT OF SALVATION. 

"I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it 
is the power of God unto salvation to every one that 
believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Salva- 
tion is not a question of Almightiness. God could reach 
his arm from the sky and rescue man from the burning; 



64 TRAINING TO TEACH 

he could send his angels to warn ; he could raise the dead 
to compel us into the narrow way; but he neither prom- 
ises nor does any of these things. To the chosen disciples 
our Lord said : "Go ye into all the world, and preach the 
gospel to every creature." The gospel is the power; if 
they hear not this, neither would they be persuaded 
though one should rise from the dead. 

What is the gospel? It is a great truth: "Jesus is 
the Christ, the Son of the living God." Upon this rock 
of truth Jesus is building his church. Where this truth 
is not proclaimed, the gospel in its power is not preached. 
Whenever this gospel is faithfully set forth, three great 
facts, three great commands and three great promises 
are made known. The three great facts are the death, 
burial and resurrection of Jesus. The three great com- 
mands are believe, repent, be baptized. The three great 
promises conditioned upon obedience to these three great 
commands are the forgiveness of sins, the gift of the 
Holy Spirit, and eternal life. The preaching of the gospel 
also requires the presentation of its solemn warnings. 
"These shall go away into everlasting destruction. Be 
not deceived, God is not mocked ; whatsoever a man sow- 
eth, that shall he also reap." 

IV. WHY CALL THIS SALVATION GREAT? 

That was a mighty salvation that rescued Israel 
from the hand of Pharaoh at the crossing of the Red 
Sea. That was a great salvation that rescued these 
chosen people from the arm of the oppressor in the days 
of Gideon. The return of the captive Jews from Babylon 
was a salvation that brought joy to the hearts of the 
faithful, but these salvations were limited in their 
benefits to a nation. This "so great salvation" is prop- 
erly named because: 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 65 

1. Its author is the Son of God. It "began to be 
spoken by the Lord," who is superior to angels. Angels 
were commanded to worship him. 

2. It saves from great depths. "He is able to save 
to the uttermost all those who come to God through 
him." The world had reached its climax of sin. There 
was no balm in Gilead. Rom. 3 : 18 gives us a picture 
of the depths of sin into which man had fallen. This 
picture may be confirmed by profane history. Rom. 6: 9- 
1 1 gives us an insight into the former sinful lives of some 
of the saints in the church in Corinth. 

3. It lifts to great heights. It makes the ransomed 
soul a new creature. Old things pass away. "Partaker 
of the divine nature" is the gracious portion of him 
whom Christ saves. The saved life can say, "I am an 
heir of heaven," and, better still, "I am an heir of God." 
"I am rich, I am not a plebeian, I am the child of a 
King." It exalts man to infinite honors and places on 
his head an eternal crown. 

4. It is great because inaugurated by divine power. 
It was procured by the incarnation and humiliation of 
the Son of God. It required suffering and self-denial. 
It was attended with great miracles. The tempests were* 
stilled, the lepers were cleansed, the blind were made to 
see, the dead were raised, the sun was darkened. 

5. It is great because for all people. "God so loved 
the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that who- 
soever believeth on him should not perish." "Preach the 
gospel to every creature." "Repentance and remission 
of sins should be preached in his name among all na- 
tions." "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord 
shall be saved." "The promise is unto you and to your 
children, and to all that are afar off." 

While it is true, as stated in the beginning of this 



66 TRAINING TO TEACH 

meditation, that the solemn question of the text was pro- 
pounded with only Christian disciples in mind, we do no 
violence to the Scripture when we ask the same thing of 
those who live in a Christian land, and who were per- 
chance reared in a Christian home, "How shall you es- 
cape if you neglect so great salvation?" "For if the 
righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and 
the sinner appear?" T. E. Cramblet. 



THE LORD'S SUPPER— ITS MESSAGES 

Memorial institutions, sacred and secular, have a dou- 
ble purpose. They are commemorative and declarative. 
They bring their messages from the past and declare 
them to the present. We are asked to believe in the 
Christian religion, and we may do this because of what 
it is in itself. It is full of purity, love and heaven-like- 
ness. But there are external evidences bearing testimony 
to Christianity — the Lord's death, the Lord's Supper and 
Christian baptism. Here are institutions before our eye«. 
They are undeniable and they challenge explanation. 
Whence came they? what is their purpose? They all 
center in Christ and proclaim the great purposes of our 
religion. They are the three great external evidences of 
our faith. They are God's memorials, proclaiming the 
blessings of sweet rest, holy service, divine fellowship, 
transforming communion, ennobling scenes and heart- 
melting memories. They are auxiliaries to faith, arguing 
with corroborating and convincing power to all who will 
listen to them. As baptism symbolizes the inner washing 
of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, the 
Supper which we celebrate points to that propitiatory 
offering which procures the equally needful blessings of 
pardon, which is indeed as the purchase price of all that 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 67 

pertains to human redemption. These two great truths 
— renewal by the Spirit and redemption by the blood of 
the Son — neither the church nor the world should forget. 
There is much speculation about the nature and meaning 
of the sufferings of Christ. Theories of the atonement 
abound. But the cup and loaf are perpetual witnesses to 
the sacrifice on Calvary as the foundation of human hope. 
So long as this memorial survives, the truth of salvation 
by the blood of the cross can not fade quite out of the 
hearts and thoughts of men. "For as oft as ye eat this 
bread and drink this cup, you do show forth the Lord's 
death till he come." May we not then, with profit to our- 
selves and honor and glory to God the Author, meditate 
upon the messages of the Supper? 

This observance calls for self-examination, not only 
of outward conduct, but of inward life as well. Worship 
is the overflowing and out-going of the soul to God in 
homage and love and trust and admiration and desire 
and praise. There is no worship in the mere sounding 
of brass and tinkling of cymbals. In so far as the 
spiritual part of our nature does not Worship, our wor- 
ship is of no avail. Except the soul is in exercise, it is 
in vain that we bow the head or put on sackcloth and 
ashes. 

I. True life is essential to acceptable worship. God 
requires that we bring before him in worship a true 
character. "The self of the worshiper is part of the 
worship. Our life is back of our worship. Monday and 
Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday and 
Saturday determine the character of our Lord's Day. 
Our praise and our prayers do not rise above the level of 
our daily living, for in true worship the worship and 
the worshiper must harmonize. Worship is holy ; the 
character, therefore, of the worshiper must approximate 



68 TRAINING TO TEACH 

holiness." How clearly is this brought out by the 
Psalmist. He asks this question, "Who shall ascend into 
the hill of the Lord, and who shall stand in his holy 
place?" Then he goes into the place of business and into 
the social circle, and finds the man who treats his neigh- 
bor's reputation aright and the one who uses his money 
aright, and says, "This is the man." How clearly is this 
set forth in the chief of the prophets also. Apparently 
everything was as it ought to be in Israel. Their pro- 
fession was grand ; their creed was orthodox ; they made 
the temple echo with silvery psalms ; they kept the altar 
aflame with burnt offerings, and they filled the court with 
delightful fragrance. But the prophet, upon investiga- 
tion, found that their daily life was wretched. It was 
full of violence, lies and injustice. They measured with 
short yard-sticks, and weighed with false balances and 
sold with a small bushel measure. Making this dis- 
covery, the prophet stood in the midst of his countrymen 
as they gathered for worship and startled them with this 
announcement: "My countrymen, because of your false 
life, your worship is an abomination to the holy God." 
He proclaimed, to them and to all men, that true life is 
worship. Worship is the soul honoring God in every- 
thing it does. 

II. A message of joy. The Lord's Supper speaks of 
joy and not of gloom. It is a festival and not a fast. 
Among all the notions that have pervaded the church 
concerning the Supper, none has been more pernicious 
than that which has associated with it thought of gloom 
and severity. "It is true that there is a vein of sadness 
in the past or historic view of the Supper. It was insti- 
tuted at the beginning of the terrible sufferings under- 
gone by Him who came to redeem the world, and the 
shadows of the coming agony — an agony so great that 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 69 

it pressed out that awful cry on the cross — were already 
thrown upon Him. And there was much in the sur- 
roundings of the first Supper to increase the gloom. 
One of them who sat at the table was to betray his Lord ; 
another was to deny him ; all were to forsake him. The 
very emblems chosen by the Saviour were emblems of 
suffering — of a broken body and poured blood." 

But as soon as we leave the past, the whole aspect of 
the Supper changes. The gloom and the sufferings and 
the approaching death are gone and only their results 
remain. This suffering wrought our release ; this death 
secured our life ; this sorrow brought forth our joy. The 
very emblems now change their significance, and we see 
bread, the staff of life, and wine, that makes glad the 
heart of man. No severity is here, for these emblems 
tell of pardon ; no sorrow is here, for they tell of the 
removal of sin, the source of sorrow ; no gloom is here, 
for we are in the clear, bright sunshine of God's love. 
We look not upon a dead Christ, but a risen Christ. We 
see not a suffering Saviour, but an exalted Saviour. 
Christ is not in the tomb ; he is here ; and we are with 
him. It is this that makes the Supper a feast, the one 
great festival of the church. It is true that we here 
remember the Lord's death, but we are remembering it 
till he comes. He is coming again to perfect in glory 
what he began in suffering. We remember the awful 
price of our redemption, but we keep our eyes on the 
coming glory. Our deliverance is accomplished; our 
salvation is attained; and just before us is the crown of 
righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will 
give to all who love his appearing. This is what the 
Supper means to us — salvation here, glory there. With 
the eye of faith, we may apprehend something of the 
glory world. 



70 TRAINING TO TEACH 

"We speak of the realms of the blest, 

That country so bright and so fair ; 
And oft are its glories confessed, 
But what must it be to be there?" 

Surely, all the associations of the Supper should be those 
of joy and gratitude. It is a feast, not a fast; and an 
anthem of praise, not a miserere, should rise from our 
hearts as we gather around the table of our Lord. 

III. Proclaims our need of a crucified Christ. This 
institution tells us, further, that we need not only Christ, 
but a crucified Christ. God does not speak to us here 
about a Christ whose beautiful life we are to admire. 
The world that lies in wickedness would gladly accept 
such a Christ and keep its sins all the time. No, no ; the 
broken bread and the poured-out wine tell of a broken 
body and shed blood. They speak of suffering and death, 
of stripes through which healing has come to our souls. 
The Christ of whom God here tells us is the Christ who 
took our place, who bore our punishment, who released 
us from condemnation. And so our relation to this Christ, 
who is God's Christ as well as our Saviour, is a very 
sure one. "It is a relation sealed and ratified in blood. 
Christ becomes our life. We live in him and God makes 
him everything to us — wisdom, sanctification, as well as 
redemption. How this removes all fear as it whispers 
to every trembling heart that doubt and trembling are 
out of place here." We are God's beloved children, we 
enter a Father's house, we sit at the Father's table, and 
are greeted by a Father's welcome. 

IV. The love and longing of God towards his people. 
Again, these elements speak of the love and longings of 
God in Jesus Christ as these go out toward his people. 
The Christ who could not go to the transfiguration alone ; 
the Christ who could not go to Gethsemane without 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 71 

taking with him his chosen disciples — even this same 
Christ can not do without human company in heaven. 
Hear his intercessory prayer: "Father, I will that they 
whom thou hast given me may be with me where I am, 
that they may behold my glory." And until that prayer 
is fully answered, he has given us this Supper that our 
thought and faith and love may ascend to him now, and 
may be his now. It is a great thought and full of com- 
fort. "The heavenly glory of Christ will not be perfect, 
and the heavenly joy of Christ will not be full, and the 
heavenly love of Christ will not be satisfied, and the 
heavenly company of Christ will not be complete, until 
all the redeemed ones are gathered home." Every saved 
soul, safe in the glory presence, is necessary to the per- 
fection of heaven and for the sanctification of God's in- 
finite love. The family of God all together with God in 
the mansion of God — that is the reality of which this 
Supper is a type and picture. 

"One family we dwell in Him, 
One church above, beneath; 
Though now divided bj the stream, 
The narrow stream of death. 

"One army of the living God, 
To his command we bow ; 
Part of the host have crossed the flood, 
And part are crossing now." 

V. A holy presence. Brethren, we are in a holy pres- 
ence when we gather around the table of our Lord. We 
are face to face with holy things. Our faith ought to be 
deepened and vitalized and broadened through the com- 
municated love of our Christ, which he sends us through 
these symbols. "This institution brings its holy message, 
its radiant gospel, its pictorial cross, its promises all gold, 
and its portion from the King's table." May the Lord 



72 TRAINING TO TEACH 

grant that, as oft as we eat this bread and drink this 
cup, our spirits may be revived and our hearts may be 
filled with new impulses and new enterprises. May we 
ever go from the Lord's table as Moses went from the 
cleft of the rock, where God hid him, with the vision of 
God burning in our souls, and with an abiding sense of 
God's presence. May we go from it as Elijah went from 
Horeb, carrying with us a fresh faith, and an inward 
feeling of our sufficiency in God. May we go from it 
as John went from Patmos, with our minds filled with 
pictures of the coming future and of the glories which 
God has provided for his church and his people; and, 
like John, may we always be able to keep these glowing 
before the eyes of the universe. May we, at every ob- 
servance, be so filled with God's own Spirit that we shall 
be able to use the words of Jacob, spoken to the servants 
of Joseph, and say, "It is enough, it is enough." 

Bethany, W. Va. T. E. Cramblet. 



faith 

I. What is faith? I. It is synonymous with "belief." 
Faith can not be used as a verb. Jesus said of the cen- 
turion whose servant He healed, "I have not seen so 
great faith," and then to him, "As thou hast believed, 
so be it done unto thee" (Matt. 8: 10, 13). But faith 
is a bigger word than belief. The demons believe (Jas. 
2: 19), but they have no faith. Belief may be of the 
intellect only, but faith is of the intellect and of the affec- 
tions and of the will and of the conscience. The devil 
and bad men can not escape belief in the Lord, because 
the evidence is so great ; but men who have faith in him 
love him and serve him and have the approval of their 
own consciences. 2. So, then, faith is the belief with 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 73 

the whole heart of testimony. It is defined by the writer 
of Hebrews as "assurance of things hoped for, a convic- 
tion of things not seen" (n : i). But we could not hope 
for anything with any assurance about which we have 
no testimony, and without evidence we could have no 
conviction of things not seen. God knew that we could 
not believe without testimony, so he has piled it all around 
us both in the book of nature and in the Book of his 
word. 

II. How are men to get faith ? i. By prayer. How 
can a man pray who has no faith at all? Of course, he 
who has faith may ask God to increase his faith ; but 
even that prayer will not be answered unless he be a 
student of the Book of faith, and seek to incarnate its 
truth in his life. "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin," 
and a prayer for faith without faith would be sinful. 
If faith comes merely in answer to prayer, let us call all 
our missionaries home, and pray faith into the hearts and 
lives of all the heathen and make quick work of saving 
the world. 2. How does faith come, then? By hearing 
the word of God (Rom. 10: 14-17), or reading the word 
of God (John 20:30, 31). The word of God is our 
faith, and it is the duty of all who have it and know it, 
from which they can not escape without disloyalty to 
God and irreparable injury to themselves, to tell it and 
give it to those who know it not and have it not. 3. But 
there are two kinds of faith, which, for the lack of 
better terms, we call common and miraculous. Faith is 
classified as a miraculous gift (1 Cor. 12:8-11), and the 
disciples could not cast out a demon, a miraculous work, 
on account of a lack of faith (Matt. 17:20). Now, 
this kind of faith we can not exercise ; for it is not 
possible now, and it is not necessary that it should be. 
But there is "a common faith" (Tit. 1 : 4) which is pos- 



74, TRAINING TO TEACH 

sible to all, for which we should earnestly contend (Jude 
3), which is historical and divine and saving. 

III. What is the function of faith? 1. To cause obe- 
dience. No man will obey unless he believes. If he 
does, his obedience is false and mockery. 2. To purify 
the heart (Rom. 6: 17, 18; Acts 15:7-9). Faith purified 
every Jew in whose heart it found a place, and makes 
acceptable to the God of the Jews every Gentile whose 
life it transforms. 3. To enlarge the life. Miserably 
small is the fellow who shuts faith out of himself. Three- 
score and ten years is the span of human life, but the 
man of faith goes back to Eden and lives down through 
the years, contemporary with all the nations and great 
of earth; yea, he tears aside the veil of the future, and 
looks in upon the things of heaven eternal. 

IV. What is the object of faith ? 1. What we be- 
lieve is more important than how we believe, as the water 
that flows through the pipe is more important than the 
pipe that carries it. 2. There is only one object of faith 
— Jesus of Nazareth. We are not to believe in a mere 
fact nor in a set of facts, neither are we to believe simply 
in a Book; but we are to believe in a man that was also 
God. The facts are to enable us to believe in him, and 
he makes the Book intelligible. Let us believe in him 
with all our hearts all our lives and forever ! Amen ! ! 

Duquoin, 111. Adam K. Adcock. 



KNOWLEDGE 

Text. — "My people are destroyed for lack of knowl- 
edge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I also will 
reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me ; seeing 
thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also for- 
get thy children." — Hos. 4 : 6. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 75 

Willful ignorance of priest and people made the time 
of Hosea the darkest period in the history of Israel. 
Every claim of the true religion was disregarded; every 
obligation of the law was relaxed. The licentious and 
cruel rites of idolatry were practiced not alone in the 
dark recesses of the groves, but even in the most public 
place. Baal not only rivaled Jehovah, he even surpassed 
the true God in the affections of the people. Bribery 
and impiety rilled the lives of princes and priests, and, 
as might be expected, might triumphed over right. 
Pusey, speaking of this dark period, says : "Remonstrance 
was useless ; the knowledge of God was willfully re- 
jected; the people hated rebuke; the more they were 
called, the more they refused ; they forbade their prophets 
to prophesy ; and their false prophets hated God greatly. 
All attempts to heal this disease only showed its incur- 
ableness." 

I. THE VALUE OF KNOWLEDGE IN GENERAL. 

We are dependent upon knowledge for happiness. 
Ignorance is connected with every evil that afflicts man- 
kind. Knowledge is life, light and health. Knowledge 
is power. It opens every gateway to human progress. 

The French nation went to Panama with ships, 
engineers, workmen, machinery, supplies, and every other 
seeming need, but did not take the necessary steps to 
prevent fever. They were defeated and destroyed for lack 
of knowledge. These Frenchmen did not know the 
habits, the disease and death carrying powers of the trou- 
blesome mosquito. It was this seemingly small lack of 
knowledge which more than anything else cheated France 
out of the glory and profit of giving to the world the 
Panama Canal. It remained for our Government to win 
this prize. The United States carried to Panama all that 



76 TRAINING TO TEACH 

France did, and, in addition to this, knowledge of the 
habits and disease-breeding powers of the mosquito. This 
knowledge made the camps of the Panama workmen as 
healthy as similar camps anywhere. 

Knowledge increases one's ability to serve his fellow- 
man, his country and his God. We are indebted to 
knowledge for our inventions, our institutions and every 
other material good. Intellect is a talent from God, and 
this should be so used by each individual that its rightful 
increase may be procured. No gift from God is to be 
tied up in a napkin and hid in the earth. 

II. THE OBLIGATION TO KNOW GOD AND GOD'S WILL. 

Not only was the priest condemned, the people gener- 
ally were held responsible. They did not want to know. 
They were willing to forget. "This is life eternal, to 
know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom 
thou hast sent." 

The servant who knew not his lord's will was beaten 
with few stripes. His sin evidently consisted in his 
failure to make the effort to know what his lord required 
of him. The very first obligation of a servant is to know 
his lord's will. "Thou hast rejected knowledge" is the 
charge brought by the prophet against these ancient 
apostates. They loved darkness rather than light. It is 
a grave sin to deliberately and knowingly forsake God 
and the worship of his sanctuary, and to make common 
cause with ungodly men and antichristian activities. 

A man may be ignorant of the sciences and of letters 
and not suffer much, but to be ignorant of God is to rob 
himself of happiness and of the highest good. 

God has revealed himself in Jesus Christ. "He that 
hath seen me hath seen the Father also." There can be 
no excuse for the man whose ears are dull of hearing, 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 77 

and whose heart is waxed gross. The knowledge of God 
is the most excellent of all sciences. Paul counted all 
things but loss in comparison with its possession. The 
prophet Isaiah attributed the captivity to its absence: 
"My people are gone into captivity because they have no 
knowledge." 

III. THE SAD RESULTS OF A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE. 

The people were destroyed. Ignorance, in every age, 
is the mother of destruction. It is the precursor of 
national as well as individual weakness. Just as the 
lack of heat and moisture will kill in the vegetable king- 
dom, or as the lack of air will cause the extinction of 
animal life, so ignorance wounds and kills in the moral 
and spiritual worlds. It is a recognized law of the divine 
government that willful ignorance entails moral deterio- 
ration. 

A grave responsibility rests upon the teachers of a 
nation. If the blind lead the blind, they will both fall 
into the ditch. If the preacher, the Bible-school teacher 
and the parent are faithful, the knowledge of God can 
not be lost. In the days of Hosea, as in our own, the 
unfaithfulness of teachers did not, and does not, wholly 
exonerate those neglected. They had, and we have to- 
day, other means of knowledge. We are responsible for 
the use we make even of scant opportunities. The de- 
parture of the heart from God comes first. When one 
does not want to know, it is easy to be ignorant. Non- 
use forfeits. Place, office, honor, opportunities of use- 
fulness, will be taken from us if we do not use, or if we 
misuse them. Rev. 2:5: "Remember therefore from 
whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first 
works ; or I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove 
thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." 



78 TRAINING TO TEACH 

IV. KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND HIS WILL DOES NOT HAVE AN 
ACCEPTABLE SUBSTITUTE. 

1. Zeal can not be substituted. The great Gentile 
apostle, writing concerning his Jewish brethren who were 
not in Christ, said : "I bear record that they have a zeal, 
but not according to knowledge." Not being directed by 
knowledge, it profited not. They possessed the law of 
God, but neglected to look into it. The sound of the 
gospel was heard and was sent forth like the voice of 
nature through the land, and yet zealous Israel did not 
know, and therefore did not profit. 

2. Faith can not be substituted. Knowledge is essen- 
tial to faith. "How can they believe on him of whom 
they have not heard?" "Faith comes by hearing." 
Through hearing comes knowledge, the basis of faith. 
To be ignorant of God is not to love him. 

3. Love can not be substituted. We can not love 
without knowledge. We love Him because he first loved 
us ; but a knowledge of him and his love always precedes 
our love and is causal to it. It was a remembrance and 
knowledge of the father's house and the plenty there 
that brought the prodigal home again. 

T. E. Cramblet. 



THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave is 
the greatest event in history, for his teaching amounts 
to but little if he was not "declared to be the Son of God 
with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the 
resurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1:5). With refer- 
ence to this stupendous proposition there are only two 
classes of people — those who believe that he conquered 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 79 

death, hell and the grave, and those who deny it. If 
Christ did not arise from the dead, "our preaching is 
vain." "Your faith is also vain." "Ye are yet in your 
sins." "They also which are fallen asleep in Christ are 
perished." "We are of all men most miserable" (i Cor. 
15:12-19). If Christ did not arise from the dead, he 
was a deceiver, for he said he would rise (Matt. 16:21; 
Mark 14:9). If he did not rise from the dead, the 
gospel is an imposition, redemption a myth, and heaven a 
failure. If he arose from the dead, he is divine, the 
"only begotten Son of God," and the Saviour of the 
world. If he arose from the grave, we are "begotten 
again to a lively hope" (1 Pet. 1:3). We have "life 
and immortality through the gospel" (2 Tim. 1:10). 
We will rise when he comes (1 Cor. 15 : 51-57). 

Paul teaches that God "hath given assurance" 
(offered faith) unto all men that he hath raised him 
from the dead (Acts 17:3). Assurance is a strong 
word. But what assurance has he given? As this is 
simply a question of fact, let us appeal to the testimony 
submitted. The credibility of the witnesses and the 
nature of the evidence are the two questions to which 
our attention is called. Friends and foes make the fol- 
lowing admissions : 

1. There was such a person as Jesus of Nazareth. 

2. He was born in the city of Bethlehem nearly nine- 
teen centuries ago. 

3. He lived at the time and in the country assigned 
him in the Bible. 

4. He was a teacher, and many people forsook their 
evil practices for his sake. 

5. He excited the Jews to wrath ,and they crucified 
him on account of his teaching. 

6. He remained on the cross until he was dead. 



80 TRAINING TO TEACH 

7. He was embalmed and buried in the new tomb 
furnished by Joseph of Arimathea. 

8. That the grave was closed by a great stone and 
sealed with the Roman seal. 

9. That a guard of Roman soldiers, knowing that if 
they neglected their duty by falling to sleep they would 
jpay the penalty by death, was stationed at the grave 
with the command, "Make it sure as ye can" (Matt. 
27:65). 

10. That the body was missing after the morning of 
the "third day." 

What became of the body? The soldiers say it was 
stolen by his disciples. Was this possible? Where 
were they when the theft was committed? Around the 
grave. What were they doing? They were asleep, ac- 
cording to their testimony (Matt. 28: 13). How did 
they know the body was stolen? How did they know 
that the disciples stole it? How did they know that the 
body did not come to life and get out of the grave and 
walk away? Admitting that these soldiers were asleep, 
the disciples could not have "rolled the stone away" and 
secured the body without making sufficient noise to 
arouse them. If the body were stolen, why did they not 
produce it? Is it possible that a small band of disap- 
pointed and heartbroken men could evade the vigilance 
of the Roman army and all the Jews ? The very thought 
is preposterous. The testimony of these soldiers is un- 
reasonable, contradictory, absurd. It would not be ac- 
cepted in any court of justice. It is a fabrication in- 
vented by the emissaries of the devil. 

The disciples say the body came to life and arose 
from the grave. Were they expecting this? Not one 
of them (Luke 24: 11). Had they anything to hope for 
by saying, "Jesus is risen," if it were not so? Nothing, 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 81 

because the combined powers, religious and political, 
were against them. Were they sincere? They attested 
their sincerity by dying for what they believed. Did 
they have sufficient opportunity to see and know him? 
"To whom he showed himself alive after his passion by 
many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, 
and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of 
God" (Acts 1:3). Here is proof — proofs — infallible 
proof. They saw him (John 21: 1, 2). They ate with 
him (John 21: 13, 14). John saw him, Peter saw him, 
Paul saw him, all the apostles saw him, five hundred 
brethren saw him (1 Cor. 16:1-8). This evidence is 
pointed, sufficient, conclusive. It would be accepted in 
any court of justice on earth. If any man doubts this, 
behold the results of the gospel seven days after the 
ascension. Admit that Jesus was an impostor, that his 
teachings were false, that he did not rise from the dead, 
what then? Twelve men, unaided by education, money 
or soldiery, stood up before the people, who knew every- 
thing pertaining to Jesus Christ, and persuaded three 
thousand, in a single sermon, to believe in the divinity of 
Christ and that he arose from the dead, and this in 
the face of the most malignant and intense opposition the 
world has ever known. Not only this, but the next ser- 
mon convinced five thousand more, and in forty years 
the gospel had spread over the entire Roman Empire, 
and after the expiration of eighteen hundred years the 
work moves on until the temples of superstition and sin 
are trembling on their foundations in every land, and all 
infidels who write a letter or a legal document sign their 
name, and endorse it the year of our Lord 1912. Look 
at the stupendous changes that Christianity has wrought ! 
The man who can believe that this is the result of a lie 
has credulity enough to believe anything. If a lie has 



82 TRAINING TO TEACH 

done all this, it is the author of more good than all the 
truth the world has ever known. 

Well may we join the triumphant strain indulged by 
the apostle Paul : "But now is Christ risen from the dead, 
and become the firstfruits of them that slept, for since 
by man came death, by man came also the resurrection 
of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ 
shall all be made alive" (i Cor. 15 : 20-22). 

Ashley Sidney Johnson. 



JOY 



O Joy, hast thou a shape? 
Hast thou a breath? 
How fillest thou the soundless air? 
Tell me the pillars of thy house. 

Joy is natural. When nature has done her work with- 
out interruption, the soul has peace. It is then that joy 
is the mainspring of all creation. It becomes the soul as 
the blue does the sky. It reflects a hidden power as 
truly as does the northern light. We get it not by seek- 
ing, but by doing what God and man expect of us. The 
man with the ax. The mother with the babe in her 
arms. The child with a broken toy. 

Fortune will not bring it. To have is not to hold. 
Wealth brings but little of real worth in this world. I 
sit by the open window and hear the boys at play— my 
boys. And wealth, well, what of that? Fortune has 
no relation to character. Joy is wedded to it. Joys 
multiply in the presence of humility. They will not abide 
in the homes of the haughty. 

All joys are twins. As you break them and hand 
them to another they will be multiplied. That which I 
keep I destroy. That which I give a neighbor that I 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 83 

retain. Every smile is a message to others. Joy travels 
in a straight line. When we would have the line return 
upon ourselves it is broken. The joy-bells of Christmas 
would ring all the year round, if we lived all the year as 
we do on Christmas. 

Our joys invite disaster. No gossip ever stops at 
the home of a shrew. Satan was tempted to leave hell 
by the happiness of two people. The ability to enjoy 
always brings with it the ability to suffer. The greatest 
tragedies of all literature hinge upon the crushing of a 
great joy. He who steals your joy ruins your life. Mrs. 
Browning says, ''Capacity for joy admits temptation." 

The joy that should concern us most is present joy. 
Memory is a blessed thing. If, however, it is used to 
discount present blessings, it becomes a curse. It is also 
easy to look into the future wishing that it may bring 
better than we have known. Many a life is ruined be- 
cause all of the present joys are passed over, by either 
the backward or the forward look. Neither can you 
possess the joys of another. The only time you can live 
is now. The only joy that you may know is your own. 

Canton, O. M. L. Pierce. 



JESUS THE WORKER 

"We must work the works of him that sent me, while 
it is day : the night cometh when no man can work." — 
John 9 : 4* 

The briefest introduction of Jesus is that from his 
own lips : "My Father worketh even until now, and I 
work." His briefest biography is that spoken by Peter, 



* From this text I attempted to preach my first sermon at 
Dennis Schoolhouse in Wayne County, 111., in May, 1890. — 



84 TRAINING TO TEACH 

who referred to him as one who ''went about doing 
good." But perhaps the best synopsis of his life of 
ceaseless activity is that adapted from the Old Testa- 
ment when he preached at Nazareth. Here "he opened 
the book, and found the place where it is written, 
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, 
Because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the 

poor: 
He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives, 
And recovering of sight to the blind, 
To set at liberty them that are bruised, 
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." 

These passages do not refer to a man who was ac- 
customed to take much time for deliberation, much less 
to one who loved leisure. Indeed, the whole record of 
his life, so far as we have it, shows that this gentle man 
was the most strenuous soul that ever lived on earth. 
We see Jesus in many varying lights ; it will be profitable 
to consider him as a wise and earnest worker. 

1. Our Lord had a definite purpose in life. 

i. Very early in his earthly career he was found in 
his Father's house, or, as the Authorized Version has it, 
about his Father's business (Luke 2:49). 

2. In the midst of his life-work he declared to his 
disciples that to do his Father's will, and to accomplish 
that which he had been sent to do, was as vital to him as 
food to the body (John 4: 34). 

3. In his intercessory prayer, as the tragic scenes of 
the cross drew near, he approached the Father with the 
words, "I have glorified thee on earth, having accom- 
plished the work which thou hast given me to do" (John 

17:4). 

II. His activities were conducted according to a def- 
inite program. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 85 

i. "While it is day" suggests that he kept in mind at 
all times the work that must be accomplished in a given 
time. 

2. When sending out the twelve, he counseled de- 
spatch, urging that "ye shall not have gone through the 
cities of Israel till the Son of man be come" (Matt. 10: 
23). Here, again, is the idea of a definite campaign of 
publicity to be completed before certain events should 
transpire. 

3. Not until his body, broken for us and tortured with 
agony, hung on the cross, could he finally say, "It is 
finished." Such a colossal undertaking as his was never 
accomplished in so brief a time; we are made to wonder 
how the labors of three brief years can have so influ- 
enced all succeeding ages ! Note that 

III. He depended for the completion of the enter- 
prise upon those had had been able to interest and in- 
spire. 

1. His disciples were colaborers with him. No sooner 
did one respond to the call "Follow me" than the Lord 
began to look beyond the generations and centuries and 
speak of things to result from the preaching of his 
gospel, using always the pronoun "we/' It is "we" that 
must "work the works of him that sent me." 

2. This idea was made clear, for the writer of Luke 
purports to have told the story of "what Jesus began both 
to do and to teach" (Acts 1:1). 

3. Coming to the final scene of his earthly life, he pro- 
nounced two words that are growing in force and volume 
still. They are "Go ye," and the assurance was given 
that he would be with those who would go, "alway, even 
to the end of the world." Later on the apostle to the 
Gentiles counseled his helpers to commit the things he 
had taught them "to faithful men," who should be able 



86 TRAINING TO TEACH 

"to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2), which was but to 
adopt the Lord's plan. 

Conclusion: If the life of Jesus was a "pattern life" 
in its activity, as in its uprightness, then 

1. Every life should have a plan and seek to accom- 
plish a distinct work. 

2. Also every life should be lived according to a well- 
thought-out program. No worth-while thing can be ac- 
complished in a time so brief unless its work be con- 
ducted on schedule time. 

3. After all, the most that any man's life amounts to 
will be worked out by others who have caught his ideals 
and been inspired by his example. Our work, like his, 
is not with material that will crumble and decay, but with 
the imperishable stuff of which souls are made. 

Paul continued in travail for his converts "until 
Christ be formed in you." This accomplished, they would 
be safe and the saviors of others. Has Christ been 
"formed in you"? Through you is he being formed in 
others? Are you a worker with him? If not, enlist 
now. S. S. Lappin. 



PEACE 

"Not as the world giveth." 

Jesus Christ made a specialty of life. He was the 
apostle, the interpreter, the provider of the "abundant 
life." He taught men of it and he lived it before them. 
Yet if we search for the secret of this unequaled com- 
posure — his undisturbed poise in the midst of clash and 
confusion — we do not find any formula. No one saying 
of his, no discourse, nor all of his discourses, purport to 
contain the desired clue. 

It is only when we view his life as a whole that the 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 87 

way it was made possible comes clear. He had absolute 
peace within — peace toward God and man. This peace 
is the evident source of his strength and endurance in 
the face of opposition. 

And his peace grew out of his trust in God, and his 
trust grew out of faith, and his faith rested on facts. 
There is no secret about it, no rule to follow, no heights 
to climb. Our Lord saw that human life went lame be- 
cause connection with the divine had been severed or 
ignored ; and, as the soul's physician, he set about re- 
establishing correspondence with God. 

Faith he presents as fundamental — as the beginning- 
place — and so he labored always to secure in his disciples 
the exercise of faith. "O ye of little faith" was his re- 
buke when those failed of whom better things were to be 
expected. Without faith nothing could be expected; 
with faith all things were possible. Here and there, un- 
expectedly, strong faith would be found, and he never 
failed to commend it. To the hesitant ones his counsel 
was, "Only believe." The untaught were led, oh, so 
gently and carefully, into the ways of faith in God 
through him. 

As his faith rested on fact, so must that of his fol- 
lowers. He had known God face to face and had been 
with him before the world was ; he knew whereof he 
spoke. And he offered facts for the faith of his hearers. 
He had seen God, so, also, had they, for said he, "He 
that hath seen me hath seen the Father." His life was 
to be to them the same sort of resource as he had access 
to in the life of his Father. And they that believed 
found it so. They were enabled to accomplish herculean 
tasks, to meet and vanquish opposition of all kinds, to 
traverse seas and to work divers signs and wonders 
through faith in him. 
(4) 



88 TRAINING TO TEACH 

And thus grew their personal trust. A dungeon or 
the sweet fellowship of believers was the same to those 
who went as his heralds into all the world. They learned 
in whatsover state they were therewith to be content. 
The sacrifice of all for His sake was a joy to them. They 
suffered persecution gladly if it were "in his name." 
Death was an unmooring.* To be absent from the body 
was to be present with Christ. It did not yet appear 
what they should be, but they should "be like him," they 
were sure, for he had gone to prepare a place for them, 
and they "should see him as he is." 

Thus peace came. The final touch of the great 
Teacher was added when he said in the very atmosphere 
of Gethsemane, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give 
unto you." They had seen the Lord and learned the 
facts of his life; their faith had sprung into vigorous 
action; they had learned to trust him and do his bidding 
wherever it seemed to lead. Thus they found peace — 
"peace that passeth undertsanding" they sometimes 
called it. "Peace be unto you" was a customary saluta- 
tion. The "peace of God" dwelling richly in the devout 
heart and the Christian assembly was the benefit to be 
desired above all other earthly things. 

But this peace was not a special blessing for the apos- 
tles alone. It is for all who will secure it as indicated. 
The life of our Lord is before us in dependable records, 
and its facts stand out as distinctly as though they were 
lived before us. The same facts they are that produced 
faith of old. And they will produce faith in those who 
seriously ponder them to-day. And, once more, faith 
will prompt trust, and trust in the divine will give peace. 

A reward was offered once for the best artistic repre- 



* Such is the sense of departure in 2 Tim. 4:6. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 89 

sentation of peace. One painter produced a canvas on 
which a mountain lake was represented in color. The 
water was placid. There was no sign of motion any- 
where. This was his conception of peace. Another 
presented a landscape with the quiet of country life 
everywhere suggested; cattle resting under trees, sheep 
lying down beside still waters, fields of grain ripening, 
and the silent sun shedding its glory over all. A third 
brought a picture in which a cataract poured over a high 
precipice. So turbulent were the waters that the imagi- 
nation of observers seemed to catch the roar of falling 
torrents. Half-way down, in the very midst of it all, 
and at the water's edge, grew a mountain shrub ; in the 
shrub was a bird's nest, and on the nest a mother-bird 
brooding over her young. 

Which of these pictures could best be called "Peace"? 
Oh that we, who go to and fro seeking for that content 
that keeps ever just ahead — oh that we could learn that 
peace, to be peace, must come to us here in the midst of 
the world's turmoil and strife! Oh that we could know 
that the Master looked beyond the upper room and down 
the long ranks of those who would believe on him 
through the testimony of those there present when he 
said: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto 
you" ! Do we enjoy this peace ? S. S. Lappin. 



FORBEARANCE 

Every one who would lead in God's work must have 
a sympathetic understanding of the battles of those whom 
they would assist into the "inner circle." Having at- 
tained for ourselves a clearer vision and a nobler acting, 
we are disposed to be impatient with others for not at 
once seeing and living as we do. It is so easy for us 



90 TRAINING TO TEACH 

to forget the long struggle and the devious way through 
which we came to a fuller conception of servUe in the 
name of the Master. We believe that most people desire 
to make the most of their lives. Many of them truly 
"hunger and thirst after righteousness, ,, but need one 
to lead them into way of larger service. These stand 
halting at the wayside, not from desire, but because 
there is none to point them the right way. They are 
"babes in Christ," and we should so act towards them. 
Scolding, criticizing and faultfinding will only injure and 
never assist them into the "liberty" of the gospel. They 
know their weaknesses, and often agonize over them. 
We can never help by showing the stains, but by leading 
them to Him who can remove all stains and make white 
as snow. We must in true sympathy walk with them 
along the "sorrowful way," and encourage them in their 
efforts to see the glory of the kingdom. Let us appre- 
ciate every effort they make and sustain every forward 
movement in love, and thus we can help them into the 
higher life. 

One should never become impatient with others 
when plans that seem so sure to succeed are rejected. 
Never take such as a personal affront, for it is seldom 
so intended. Harsh and unkind words never succeed in 
building any individual or congregation into a true spirit- 
ual house. As leaders we are to teach, not condemn. 
Most folks see new things slowly. Old methods are 
hard to be set aside. To change the old order requires 
much forbearance on the part of leaders. How often 
unseemly wrangles might have been averted had those 
who led contained themselves, and permitted those who 
think slowly and seem stubborn to have a little more time 
to study the matter out. 

Forbearance means to bear with those who do not see 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 91 

as we do, but it means to do so in the right spirit and 
not in a "better than thou" way. Let us try to see the 
matter as it appears to the others. Perhaps they are 
right and we are wrong. Then, we should remember that 
things worth while do not have to be brought about in 
a day. Give the folks time to meditate upon every issue, 
and act only after all have truly taken the work to Christ. 

Then, we should exercise forbearance toward others 
because we all must be borne with. Think how far short 
we have come from our blessed Lord's ideals. He has 
been so kind and good. He has not rebuked nor accused 
us. He only loves us the more and tries the harder to 
lead us into the light. For this reason let us be careful 
how we think of others. J. W. Street. 

Mackinaw, 111. 



THE COMPASSIONATE CHRIST 

"But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved 
with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were 
scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd." — Matt. 
9:36. 

Compassion was born of God. It is the golden 
thread of pity running from the eternal looms of our 
Father to the human heart. It became matchless in 
beauty and power when it culminated in the glorious 
weaving of the gift of God, in the person of Jesus Christ, 
his Son. Herein we find the height of compassionate 
love — John 3:16. Is it any wonder that Christ should 
be known as the compassionate Saviour? 

What a heart of compassion beat in the bosom of our 
blessed Master ! He saw the multitudes in need, scattered, 
fainting, alone. Why? There was no one to lead them. 
Each one was so self-centered in his own pursuit that he 



92 TRAINING TO TEACH 

gave no thought for others. The cry of Cain was on 
their lips, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Even the Jewish 
church was so engrossed in the observation of ceremonial 
law and ecclesiastical dogma that they neither heard 
nor even saw their brother in distress. (Note the story 
of the good Samaritan.) How different with the blessed 
Master ! He went about doing good. When he saw the 
multitudes he had compassion on them (Matt. 9: 35, 36). 

We would divide our theme into three parts ; namely, 
I. The breadth of the compassion of Christ. 2. The 
strength of the compassion of Christ. 3. The never- fail- 
ing compassion of Christ. 

First : The compassion of Christ is broad. Christ saw 
multitudes. What a vision! The church fails to-day 
because it lacks this vision. "Multitudes means missions," 
not foreign nor home, but the world — all people — at 
home and abroad. Climb to the mountain-top of oppor- 
tunity and see the world holding up their hands and piti- 
fully beseeching help. Feed them — help them — they are 
starving and dying because you are neglecting your duty, 
yea, more than that, your privilege. To omit this chance 
marks you as not compassionate and therefore not a dis- 
ciple of Christ. The compassionate Jesus ought to be 
living also in the person of those who claim to be his 
followers. "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so ful- 
fil the law of Christ." The law of Christ is love. 

Second: The compassion of Christ is strong. Our 
weakness appeals to the tender heart of Jesus Christ. 
No more beautiful description of this can be found than 
in his reference to the multitude's need of a shepherd. 
The prophet Isaiah (40:11) said: "He shall feed his 
flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his 
arms and carry them in his bosom ; he shall gently lead 
those that are with young." What tender mercy to the 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 93 

weak; what sympathetic love, benignant in its sweetness. 
Tender because it never breaks the bruised reed, nor 
quenches the feeblest spark. 

There is more weakness than strength in this world. 
Once in awhile you will find some giant soul towering 
above his fellow-men, because he has gotten close to the 
Master and seen the vision, but the frail reeds and rushes 
are without number. Should this discourage us? No, 
no. We have ever waiting, to help and ' strengthen us, 
that kind, loving heart of the divine Strength — Jesus. 
The same sympathizing Jesus who raised from the dead 
the daughter of Jairus ; the widow's son of Nain ; his 
friend Lazarus; who pitied the famished multitudes and 
rescued the sinking Peter — is living yet. His love is as 
full as ever. 

Third : The compassion of Christ is inexhaustible. 
Human pity wears out from overuse. It often gives way 
when under the heaviest strain. Compassion dwells in 
the heart of Christ as inexhaustible as the sunlight. He 
never fails us, but we fail him. When we pray right we 
take hold on that compassion. Why do we allow the 
tender and sympathetic power to leave us? 

i. We become self-centered. Churches as well as in- 
dividuals fail here. If the compassionate Christ should 
come into some of our churches, I believe that he would 
order more than one self-satisfied member to go out and 
find some soul in distress, work in some mission school 
or assist some struggling church to its feet. What does 
the Lord make some of his followers rich for except that 
they may lend a helping hand to the weak and helpless? 

2. We neglect Bible reading and prayer. To be in 
sympathy with the needs of the world we must study the 
Bible and pray (Matt. 9:38). A church or person that 
snakes it a rule to daily sit at the feet of the Master to 



94 TRAINING TO TEACH 

learn of him will pray and work. We never can fulfill 
the "law of Christ" till we know the law (Ps. i). 

3. Engrossed in worldly pursuits and happiness. 
Great calamities open our hearts to relief and help. 
What greater disaster than the loss of a human soul? 
Christ exerted his divine might and infinite love in bear- 
ing the load of man's sin and sorrow. He never con- 
sidered self. "He came to minister, not to be ministered 
unto." The greatest happiness is derived from helping 
others. God intends us to give attention to the affairs 
of the world, but never to become so absorbed in them 
that we hear not the cry of those in need. Would you 
be consecrated? Then listen. Consecration means copy- 
ing the compassionate Christ. We are a debt to the poor, 
the weak, the feeble, the sick, the ignorant, the fallen 
and the perishing. May the love of Jesus Christ inspire 
us to noble deeds and help us to pay our debts to our 
fellow-man. 

The compassionate heart of Jesus calls to you, my 
friend. Will you not answer his call and give him your 
heart ? 

"Like bells at evening pealing, 

The voice of Jesus sounds o'er land and sea; 
And laden souls by thousands meekly stealing, 

Kind Shepherd, turn their weary steps to thee." 

Columbus, O. J. J. Tisdall. 



CONFESSION 

"Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me 
before men, him shall the Son of man also confess 
before the angels of God." — Luke 12:8. 

The object to be confessed is not our faith in human 
dogmas, church membership, good works and commend- 
able desires, neither is it some remarkable experience, but 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 95 

Christ as the Son of God, as our Saviour and King, and 
our faith in him for redemption and our obedience to 
him as our lawgiver. The faith discussed in the New 
Testament refers to the act by which we lay hold of and 
appropriate the facts of the gospel of Christ to our per- 
sonal salvation. It is this faith in Christ that saves ; not 
faith in creeds, philosophies or any other gospel. Sub- 
stitution is impossible. Efforts have been made to sub- 
stitute other names and agencies, and in this substitution 
we apprehend one of the chief dangers of the present 
time. These substitutions would set at nought the chief 
corner-stone of our salvation. Moral : principles and ex- 
amples, rationalistic criticism and socialistic theories, 
sophistical arguments and pretending philanthropy, no 
matter how plausible, are limited by the horizon of time ; 
they pardon no sins, transform no souls, and have no 
effect upon the hereafter. They are a delusion and a 
snare. It is faith in Christ and obedience to him that 
saves. No man cometh to the Father save by him. He 
is the door into the sheepfold. Other foundations can 
no man lay. Salvation is in his name, and in his name 
only. 

This faith must be confessed. No person has any 
right to withhold the knowledge of a fact that would be 
for the benefit of the public. Medical schools graduate 
their students under promise to make known any dis- 
covery in materia medica that would bless mankind. 
Great explorers and scientists have felt the moral obliga- 
tion to make known their discoveries to help humanity. 
For example, Columbus in the discovery of the New 
World, Galileo in the discovery of the pendulum, Watts 
and Stevenson in the locomotive, Morse the telegraph, 
Fulton the steamboat, Howe the sewing-machine, Mar- 
coni wireless telegraphy, Bell the telephone, Edison the 



96 TRAINING TO TEACH 

phonograph and other inventions, etc. These things 
being true, if a person discovers the Pearl of great price 
that comes to him as an ever-blessed truth, is it not rea- 
sonable that he should confess it? Nothing will open 
a man's mouth with more joy than the discovery of 
some great good. In Christ's day, notwithstanding he 
advised silence on the part of some whom he had healed, 
yet they were so happy in their discovery of Jesus and 
his powers to heal and save that they disobeyed his in- 
junction and published abroad the glad news. 

Throughout the Oriental countries it is a common 
thing to hear a man make a public confession of his re- 
ligion. Some months ago I needed the service of a 
guide in the Holy Land. Three different guides were 
introduced to me in a hotel in Jerusalem. Without my 
asking, one man confessed to me that he was a Roman 
Catholic; another, a Syrian Christian educated in a mis- 
sion school; and the other that he was a Mohammedan. 
When in the old city of Jaipur, India, several hotel-run- 
ners at the station solicited our patronage, and each in 
turn confessed his religion. One man declared he was 
a Hindoo, and worshiped Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva; 
another confessed that he was a Mohammedan and boldly 
declared "that there is no God but Allah, and Mohammed 
is his prophet." In Columbo a tailor said, "I am a Budd- 
hist and can not lie." Another tailor said, "I am a Chris- 
tian and serve Jesus continually." After meeting with 
a number of such experiences, I began to realize, as 
never before, the importance of making a religious con- 
fession, in the mind of an Oriental. So it was in the 
time of Christ. Jesus confessed that he was the Christ 
before Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate. A careful study of 
the New Testament Scriptures teaches that the divinely 
authorized confession of faith is as follows: "I believe 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 97 

that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of the 
living God." 

It is a divine confession. When Simon Peter made 
this confession as reported in Matt. 16: 16, Jesus an- 
swered and said unto him: "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar- 
Jona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, 
but my Father who is in heaven." This great fact was 
revealed at the baptism of Jesus, when the heavens were 
opened and the Father spake, saying, "This is my beloved 
Son, in whom I am well pleased." And again when the 
angel announced to Mary : "Thou shall bring forth a son, 
and he shall be great, and he shall be called the Son of 
the Highest." And again when the angel announced His 
birth to the shepherds, as a Saviour who is Christ the 
Lord. 

This confession is the logical argument of the gospel. 
"Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of 
the disciples, which are not written in this book: but 
these are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the 
Christ, the Son of God ; and that believing, ye may have 
life in his name" (John 20:30, 31). All the writing 
and preaching of the apostles were to enforce and prove 
that one thing, that He was the Son of God, and the 
promised Messiah. "Let all the house of Israel therefore 
know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and 
Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified" (Acts 2:36).. 
"And Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and pro- 
claimed unto them the Christ" (Acts 8:5). Paul preached 
in the synagogues proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God. 
He confounded the Jews that dwelt at Damascus, prov- 
ing that this was the Christ (Acts 9:20-22). "And 
Paul, as his custom was, went in unto them, and for 
three sabbath days reasoned with them from the scrip- 
tures, opening and alleging that it behooved the Christ 



98 TRAINING TO TEACH 

to suffer, and to rise again from the dead ; and that this 
Jesus, whom, said he, I proclaim unto you, is the Christ" 
(Acts 17:2, 3). 

It is the foundation of the church. "Upon this rock 
I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall 
not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18). "For other 
foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which 
is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 3: 11). "Being built upon the 
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus 
himself being the chief corner-stone" (Eph. 2 : 20) . "Be- 
cause it is contained in scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion 
a chief corner-stone, elect, precious : and he that believ- 
eth on him shall not be put to shame !" (1 Pet. 2:6). 

It is the confession that Jesus made that resulted in 
his death. "Christ Jesus who before Pontius Pilate wit- 
nessed the good confession" (1 Tim. 6: 13). It is called 
the good confession. "Whereunto thou wast called, and 
didst confess the good confession in the sight of many 
witnesses" (1 Tim. 6: 12). 

It's a definite command, oft repeated and enforced by 
example. "Whosoever shall confess me before men, him 
shall I confess before my Father which is in heaven" 
(Matt. 10: 32). "And we believe and are sure that thou 
art the Christ, the Son of God" (John 6:69). Martha 
said: "Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the 
Son of God, that should come into the world" (John 
11 : 2j). "The Jews had agreed already that if any man 
should confess him to be the Christ, he should be put 
out of the synagogue" (John 9: 22). "Nevertheless even 
of the rulers many believed on him ; but because of the 
Pharisees, they did not confess it, lest they should be put 
out of the synagogue" (John 12: 42). "Whosoever shall 
confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him 
and he in God" (1 John 4: 15). 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 99 

"With the heart man believeth unto righteousness ; 
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" 
(Rom. 10 : 10). "Because if thou shalt confess with thy 
mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that 
God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" 
(Rom. 10:9). If we are to judge by the records con- 
tained in the eighth chapter of Acts, it was the confes- 
sion required before baptism. The above Scriptures are 
explicit enough, and until language shall cease to convey 
thought we shall have no doubt as to the meaning of 
these Scriptures. This was the confession required in 
the early days of the church, and if it was sufficient then, 
it is sufficient now. If it was broad enough then for 
the early disciples, it is broad enough now for the founda- 
tion of our faith. 

It honors Christ. All true love delights to honor the 
object of its affection. The husband who maintains 
silence about his wife is almost ready to enter the divorce 
courts; the child who does not delight in bearing testi- 
mony to the faithful mother's memory is considered an 
ingrate; the brother who does not speak the name of a 
sweet sister is unworthy the affection she bestows upon 
him. The nine healed lepers who did not return the 
gratitude of their hearts to Jesus hurt the Saviour be- 
cause they did not return to give God the glory. He 
asked the pathetic question, "Where are the nine?" 
When the blind man who was healed was cast out of 
the temple for confessing Christ, Jesus appeared unto 
him and revealed himself as the Son of God. In all ages 
great leaders of men have been honored by the public 
proclamation of their names by their devotees and fol- 
lowers. 

Such a confession is helpful to others. Secret dis- 
cipleship is discouraging to the church. It is not helpful 



100 TRAINING TO TEACH 

in soul- winning. If it enters heaven, it will be empty- 
handed. It is nihilism to the church. If one has the 
right to secret discipleship, then all have. If such be 
the case, what would become of the church? With all 
of its moral, educational, missionary and evangelistic 
agencies, surely the church would perish. Satan would 
triumph, for secret discipleship would never oppose the 
saloon, molest the devil's den or send the gospel to those 
in darkness. The secret disciple has no influence, he 
has no light to shine to help others. A clock may have 
excellent machinery, but it is of no service unless it has 
face and hands to tell the hours of the day. Christ de- 
mands public words and acts to tell the story of his love. 
If a sick man is made whole, others desire to know it 
and he is anxious to tell it. The redeemed soul was 
commanded by Jesus to go home and tell his friends 
what the Lord had done for him. Doubtless he was glad 
to herald the news and his friends were equally glad to 
receive the tidings. 

Such a confession is essential to one's safety. It 
seals his faith ; it openly commits him to Christ ; it allies 
him with the forces of righteousness; it is a public 
declaration that he is turning from the world to Christ. 
Many a soul doubtless would have fallen if it had not 
been they had openly made the good confession before so 
many witnesses. It therefore becomes the test of love 
and a public acknowledgment of faith in Jesus as the 
Son of God. The disciple who is not willing to make a 
public confession of his faith in Jesus as the Christ, who 
suffered and died to save the soul, is unworthy the Mas- 
ter's love and ownership. 

The promise to those confessing. They shall be con- 
fessed before the Father in heaven. As the Norwegian 
boy confessed in a Boston public meeting: "If I tell the 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 101 

world about Jesus, then Jesus will tell the Father about 
me." It is no light thing to be acknowledged in heaven 
before God and the holy angels. Confessing him now 
may result in unspeakable blessings for the life that now 
is and a rich reward in the life to come, when every knee 
shall bow and every tongue shall confess to God that 
Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God, which confession 
shall either be to the eternal joy and glory or sorrow and 
shame of the spirit that makes it. 

St. Louis, Mo. John L. Brandt. 



MERCY 

"Be ye merciful as your Father also is merciful." — 
Jesus. 

"Teach me to feel another's woe, 
To hide the fault I see; 
That mercy I to others show, 
That mercy show to me." — Pope. 

When the human family learns that the redemption of 
the world is not based on cold, unrelenting justice, but 
on the warm heart-throbs of a merciful Saviour, we will 
then be far on the way to the solution of the problem of 
how to reach the unchurched masses. Mercy is the 
direct product of heaven-born love. This world is full 
of loathsome human beings who are unlovely in them- 
selves, but the heart imbued with the spirit of Jesus goes 
to such with the loving touch of mercy and wins them 
from the way of sin and shame to a life of loving service 
in the family of our common Father. 

No one ever prays to God for justice, but all real 
prayers are for our Father's mercy. Even the lowest 
criminal can ask him for mercy. The poor publican, 
"standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes 



102 TRAINING TO TEACH 

unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be 
merciful to me a sinner." 

The church as a whole has been slow in learning the 
great lesson of the power of the human touch in the 
hour of sorrow and suffering. For centuries it has speni 
its time in establishing its peculiar doctrines and in trying 
to convince the world of its Scriptural position. These 
first principles are all necessary, and I would not for a 
moment underestimate faith, repentance, confession, bap- 
tism, Christian union, the one name, and many other 
fundamentals in the great plea for the oneness of God's 
people and the final conquest of the world through Jesus 
Christ. But I would also emphasize the crying need of 
preaching and teaching the gospel of mercy and love. 
When the followers of the Master have been filled with 
his spirit of tender compassion, and, like him, go about 
in the world doing good, then will be reproduced the 
mercy manifested by the good Samaritan, and the healing 
touch of Christian love will be administered to every 
worthy one who falls by the wayside, whether it be the 
friendless child, the decrepit aged one, the helpless and 
afflicted, or the soul blighted by sin. Jesus says : "Inas- 
much as you have done it unto one of the least of these 
my brethren, you have done it unto me." Again, the 
Master said that he came not to be ministered to, but to 
minister, and if we have not the spirit of Christ, we are 
none of his. When we learn these lessons, not as a 
theory, but as a practice, the church will move forward 
with irresistible power. 

The criticism of the unchurched and untaught is that 
the church is not fulfilling her mission, in that it does 
not love mercy and do justly. This is true to some de- 
gree. Therefore it behooves the followers of the Man 
of Galilee to convert their creed into deeds of love and 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 103 

service. The world finds no fault with the life of Jesus 
Christ and no fault with his teachings, but at every point 
commends his life of mercy and sacrifice of love. 

But the church has been blind to the world's real 
needs, consequently they are separated by a great chasm, 
and this chasm can be bridged by nothing less than the 
mercy of our Saviour reproduced in the lives of his 
followers. When John's disciples came to Jesus to know 
if he was the Christ or must we look for another, Jesus 
said: "Go and show John again those things which you 
do hear and see. The blind receive their sight, and the 
lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the 
dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached 
to them." 

Therefore mercy is the irresistible influence that must 
yet prepare the world for the reception of the gospel of 
Jesus Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation 
to every one that believeth. When we thus enter into the 
realization of what the true mission of the church is, 
mercy and truth will have met together, and righteous- 
ness and peace will have kissed each other. 

Atlanta, Ga. J no. H. Wood. 



HOPE 

(i Pet. 3 :i5-) 
Introduction. — Christianity furnishes the elements 
of character necessary to our happiness. These elements 
are always in harmony with the best in human nature. 
They follow natural lines and are wholly constructive. 
Hopelessness, despondency, despair, desperation, are not 
natural constructive elements of life. They do not make 
happiness, but the reverse ; they do not build up, but 
destroy. Hope, then, is one of the great essentials of 



104 TRAINING TO TEACH 

character and joy. It is one of the abiding elements: it 
has cheer; it has strength. The New Testament con- 
tains numerous references to this very important theme. 

1. The Basis of Hope. 

i. Our need. We are so constituted that hope is an 
absolute necessity to our progress and joy in life. Ob- 
serve the man of despair ; contrast him with the man of 
hope. Hopelessness leads to desperation, perhaps to 
death. Note the suicides among the heathen people. 
Contrast Elijah under the juniper-tree (i Kings 19:4) 
with Paul in the Philippian jail (Acts 16:25). 

2. The facts of the gospel: the death, burial and 
resurrection of Jesus. Note the emphasis placed upon 
the resurrection in connection with hope particularly 
(1 Pet. 1:3, 21; Acts 26:6-8; 1 Cor. 15:19). 

3. A right relation to, or acceptance of, these facts. 
Failure to recognize them as foundational is as disastrous 
to hope as if they had not occurred (1 Cor. 15 : 1-4). 

4. A correct life, or life in harmony with the will of 
God as indicated in the gospel facts. Unholy living de- 
stroys hope (Job 4:6). 

II. The Value of Hope. 

1. The source of vision and desire (Rom. 8:24). 
Hopelessness shuts out vision ; not to see is not to desire. 

2. The chief factor in developing patience (Rom. 

8:25). 

3. An aid to right and purity (1 John 3:3). 

4. Engenders courage (2 Cor. 3: 12). 

Who can measure it? To estimate its value is to 
know the eternal love and purpose of God. It is linked 
with the abiding elements of faith and love; it is the 
anchor of the soul. 

III. Consequent Duties. 

1. The cultivation of hope. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 105 

( i ) By better knowledge of the promises of God as 
revealed in his word. 

(2) By obtaining a larger view of our relation to 
our fellow-men and the world. Hope is large and re- 
quires large souls for highest development. 

(3) By the indwelling of Christ and his Spirit. 
"Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1 : 27). 

2. The spread of hope, or evangelism. To make this 
joy a reality in other lives should be a consuming passion. 

"Living for self, for self alone, for self and none beside; 
As if Jesus had never lived, as if Jesus had never died." 

3. The consummation of hope's desires. The prom- 
ises of God are to be fulfilled through us. Our highest 
joy is in fulfillment. The church at Sardis (Rev. 3:1- 
3) was condemned for uncompleted work. 

"The restless millions wait the light, 
Whose coming maketh all things new. 
Christ also waits ; but men are slow and late. 
Have we done what we could? Have I? Have you?" 

Sacramento, Cal. J. J. Evans. 



COMPASSION 

Compassion is akin to pity, but it is stronger. It 
implies ability to help as well as willingness. It not only 
sees the need, but extends the helping hand as well. Its 
seat of power is in the heart. In the deep of our being 
it finds its richest soil for development. Great souls 
are dominated by this great element of life. Indeed, 
there are no great souls without compassion. The com- 
passionate Christ is our example in all things. There 
is no class nor condition of life that does not feel the 
touch of his kindly sympathy. 

He saw the multitudes that came to hear him, and 



106 TRAINING TO TEACH 

looked upon them with compassion. He said they were 
as "sheep without a shepherd," wandering, lost. He 
prayed that the divine passion might possess his dis- 
ciples; that they would care enough for men to feed, 
lead and save them. He saw the same multitudes in 
hunger and fed them. Their physical condition aroused 
his sympathy no less than their spiritual ailments. They 
learned of his tenderness and followed him ; they put the 
afflicted ones where at least his shadow might fall upon 
them. 

The little children were objects of his lovingkind- 
ness. His compassionate heart went out to weak, un- 
protected childhood. He would not have them in the 
sweat-shops and factories; he would not surround them 
with foul, immoral conditions ; he would not close them 
in dark tenements. He pronounced burning words 
against those who would throw stumbling-blocks in their 
way. He said: "Their angels do always behold the face 
of my Father who is in heaven." Childhood is marvel- 
ously exalted in the tenderness of Jesus. 

His tears fell for Jerusalem, though willfully wicked 
and stubborn unto the rejection of his love. His soul 
was stirred as he remembered that with heart solicitude 
he had plead for obedience to the will of his Father. 
His pity reached full tide as he thought of the doom 
that awaited the people, but "they would not." The 
future sorrows of his race overshadowed his own deep 
sorrow. Even under the burden of his own cross he 
forgot his affliction long enough to give expression of 
sympathy for the women who were weeping for him. 
Man in need absorbed his soul ; his mighty heart burst 
with tenderness over distressed, lost humanity. 

Perhaps the greatest exemplification of his compas- 
sion was toward those who sorrowed at the passing of 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 107 

loved ones. The widow of Nain received his comforting 
message and his help. The weeping of Mary and 
Martha at the tomb of their brother wrung from his 
heart the tear of sympathy. Their sorrows were his sor- 
rows ; he became one with them in suffering. But out 
of the shadows of death came the world's hope. "I am 
the resurrection and the life" fell as balm upon dis- 
pirited hearts. It answered the cry of distress, it 
awakened hope, it dispelled the shadows, it ushered in 
the morning of a new day. We need not despair, for 
the compassionate Christ has spoken. J. J. Evans. 
Sacramento, Cal. 



THE RESURRECTION 

1. The dark, dark hour preceding Chris fs resurrec- 
tion. Disciples standing dumb and disconsolate amidst 
the wreckage of their hopes. The rock upon which they 
were standing sinking beneath their feet, to leave them 
struggling in storm-swept waters. If they lived through 
it, they would go back to their old occupations and be 
satisfied to be nobody. 

2. A strange cry, "He is risen," ringing through the 
streets. It could not be. Nobody expecting it. Tale of 
a disordered mind. Distorted imagination. 

3. He appears to them. Could it be true ? But there 
He was. They saw ; they heard. And the cause they 
had espoused was bigger, better than their fondest 
dreams — was it? And the blackest night was but the 
passage to the most glorious day. 

4. Transforming pozver of the new hope. 

Scene 1. (Before) — Peter cringing under the charge 
that he was one of them, and giving emphasis to it with 
lies and curses. 



108 TRAINING TO TEACH 

Scene 2. (After) — Peter standing boldly up for Him 
in the presence of millions, charging the authorities in 
their own temple that they were the wicked murderers 
of the Christ, their own long-promised Messiah. 

Scene 3. — Scourged and threatened with death and 
ordered to cease, they flatly refuse, count their bleeding 
bodies a matter to be joyous over, and preach the resur- 
rection story with more vigor than ever. 

Scene 4. — The Sanhedrin. Seventy great men — na- 
tional authorities — solemnly voting to exterminate the 
new religion and silence the babblers about the resurrec- 
tion. 

Scene 5 — Their valorous young leader hurling him- 
self against the cause. Destroys the church in Jerusa- 
lem. Goes forth to destroy it everywhere. 

Scene 6. — Their young leader preaching Christ. Ex- 
plain change of life plans by declaring that the risen 
Christ had appeared to him on the way. 

Scene 7. — Tell how that hope sustained him through 
life, rendering him immune to hardships and heedless of 
persecutions, and how it has buoyed up the millions since 
then who have passed through great tribulation. 

G. M. Anderson. 



GENTLENESS 

The strongest and bravest men are sometimes the 
gentlest. Tenderness is by no means an indication of 
weakness in a man. Rather is it a tribute to manly 
strength. The truly courageous and chivalrous man is 
gentle in his treatment of all. He can not witness un- 
moved the suffering of a brute. It is said of Bene- 
dict Arnold that as a boy he delighted to burn out the 
eyes of toads and birds with red-hot needles. A soul 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 109 

from which the quality of gentleness or tenderness is 
absent can not know the real meaning of patriotism and 
love. 

The Man of Nazareth was "the world's first true 
gentleman." It was said of him in prophecy: "A 
bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax [the 
dimly burning wick] shall he not quench." No woman 
was more tender and gentle than he, no man more brave 
and fearless. His character was full-orbed and perfect. 
Nowhere in his ministry is his gentleness more strikingly 
manifest than in his treatment of physical diseases. His 
quiet voice, or his gentle touch, brought immediate heal- 
ing. A Confederate veteran said he saw literally cart- 
loads of arms and legs hauled away from an improvised 
hospital as a result of surgical operations after an im- 
portant battle of the Civil War. But the great Physi- 
cian's treatment was characterized by no cutting and 
sawing and sewing, by no long and painful convales- 
cence. Sometimes he but tenderly looked upon the 
afflicted, and the cure was wrought. 

In his treatment of children the Man of Galilee 
showed the "gentleness of gianthood." No man can be 
truly great who does not love little children. Of all the 
great religious systems of the world, that of the Beth- 
lehem babe is the only one that provides a place for 
children. Had Jesus said nothing else than, "Suffer little 
children to come unto me, and forbid them not," this 
would have enshrined him in the heart of the world. In 
all lands where the influence of the gentle Christ has not 
gone, infanticide is horribly common, and children are 
little better than mere chattels. 

He was gentle also in his treatment of sinful men 
and women. This is why he grappled them as with 
hooks of steel. He loved them into better lives. He 



110 TRAINING TO TEACH 

knew how they longed for purity and holiness, and by 
his divine tenderness he drew them to him. The self- 
righteous reviled him because he mingled with sinners, 
but with divine insight into their hearts he knew how to 
gently win them from their sins. 

Oh, if we could deal more gently with the erring; 
if we could but know as did He how possible it is for 
bad men to become good; if we did but know how even 
the degraded and outcast long for sympathy and love ; 
if we knew how precious in the sight of God are these 
marred souls ; if we but had more of the Christ spirit, 
more of his gentle forbearance, more of his tender love 
— how many thousands might be saved who now for the 
lack of a little kindly interest, a little bit of love, are lost 
to hope and to heaven ! May the tender Christ teach us 
all to have that compassionate yearning for sinful men 
that made him so gracious and so gentle. 

Louisville, Ky. W. N. Briney. 



COURAGE 

At the very foundation of the Christian life an in- 
spired writer places courage — "add to your faith virtue." 
This quality must, therefore, be indispensable to Chris- 
tian character. The "virtue" which lies so near the 
basis of successful living is courage with moral aim. 
What men often call courage may be little more than 
callousness or physical insensibility. True courage is a 
thing not so much of the body as of the soul. It is the 
soul that makes the man, and intrepidity of soul can 
spring only from moral aim and resolution. The frail 
man whose hand shakes as he wields the sword, and 
whose face is ashen as he meets the foe, may possess 
a sublimer courage than he who, with nerve of steel 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 111 

and arm of flint, plunges with unchanging color into the 
thick of the fight. Two officers, dispatched by the Duke 
of Wellington upon a hazardous enterprise, were riding 
to the field of action, when one noticed that his com- 
panion's cheeks were blanched with the pallor of fear. 
"Why, you are afraid!" he exclaimed. "I am," was the 
reply, "and if you were half as afraid as I am, you 
would run away." The officer who had felt no pang of 
fear galloped forthwith back to headquarters and com- 
plained that he had been yoked up with a coward. But 
the wise Duke replied : "Off, sir, to your duty, or the 
coward will have done the business before you get 
there." Because he had accomplished the supremely 
heroic task of mastering himself at the command of 
duty, forcing his recreant energies into action, and lash- 
ing them to the doing of a perilous thing, the officer 
whose face was livid and whose hand shook was by far 
the braver of the two. He belonged to the noble army 
of men who know there is no species of dishonor so 
humiliating as a plain duty evaded. 

Courage of the knightliest sort is needed for the 
trials and temptations of our daily life. Sometimes it 
takes a loftier quality of courage to speak the simple 
truth than to lead a battalion on the field of carnage. It 
is easier sometimes to stand before loaded cannon than 
to confront a pointed finger. The young man who has 
the bravery to turn down his glass in the banquet hall 
has in him the stuff of which heroes are made. There 
are occasions when to utter the monosyllable "No !" tests 
one's manhood more surely than any stress of battle- 
field. 

The noblest exemplification of courage is found in 
our Lord and Master, the divine ideal of character. 
There was no vulnerable point in his armor. Never for 



112 TRAINING TO TEACH 

a moment did his courage fail him. No artist can ever 
do justice to his strong and manly face. His fierce 
engagement with Satan on the mount of temptation, his 
flaming indignation in driving forth robbers from his 
Father's house, his fearless denunciation of the hypocrisy 
of scribe and Pharisee, his steadfast journey toward the 
cruel death of the cross-tree — all are marks of his sublime 
and unfaltering courage. He was as brave and as fear- 
less as a lion. Behold the man ! Meditation for an 
hour upon his brave spirit will send one forth to the 
accomplishment of valorous deeds. W. N. Briney. 
Louisville, Ky. 



THE LORD'S DAY 

"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day." — Rev. 1 : 10. 

Some one has said that our lives are made or marred 
by the manner in which we spend our leisure moments. 
The principle at least applies to the manner of observ- 
ing the Lord's Day. There is nothing that prophesies 
so great evil to our nation as the growing laxity in the 
observance of the Lord's Day. Study the history of 
France and other countries where they have abandoned 
the Lord's Day for the Continental Sunday, and you will 
observe that, in every instance, disregard for the Lord's 
Day marked the beginning of their downfall. 

Divine wisdom has cautiously provided all things that 
pertain to man's life and his growth in godliness. God 
has plainly revealed to us the way of safety and progress. 
He has not left us a positive command respecting the 
first day of the week, but, better, he has given us a 
higher motive for such observance. He has filled our 
hearts with the joy of the resurrection morn and left us 
the example of the apostles and the early church. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 113 

John the beloved delivers the key that opens to us this 
day with its divinest possibilities. Let us, in our thought, 
follow him from that hour when he with Andrew heard 
John the Baptist say, "Behold, the Lamb of God." From 
that time he was in closest fellowship with our Master, 
both in his hours of triumph and humiliation, through 
Gethsemane to the cross, through resurrection days to 
the mount of ascension, through the formative period of 
the church, through persecution and affliction until now, 
an old man, he is banished on the lonely isle of Patmos 
for the Lord's sake. Can you doubt for one moment 
the great significance of his words, "I was in the Spirit 
on the Lord's Day"? 

Where is there a saint to be found who can not look 
back upon some quiet Lord's Day when he was enabled 
to abandon all worldly cares and to hold sweet com- 
munion with the Lord? As that day arises in your 
memory, you mark it as a Lord's Day pre-eminent be- 
cause you. were in the Spirit. Thus every Lord's Day 
will be made more precious if we have that hungering 
and thirsting after righteousness which is satisfied only 
by observing the means of grace which God has ordained. 

John had spent many days with the church and 
around the communion table amid circumstances which 
were conducive to a devotional and worshipful spirit. 
But now he is away from home, surrounded by strange 
circumstances, where it is so easy to drift from his moor- 
ings, to abandon old habits and lifelong customs, but 
John realized more the need of such communion, and 
his heart hunger could be satisfied in no other way. 

Many a man moving into a strange town or city 
seems to feel like Jacob of old, that he has left God and 
all obligations to righteousness behind, but too often he 
never awakens to realize that God was in the place, 



114 TRAINING TO TEACH 

though he knew it not. We need more careful thinking 
and consistent living along this line. The amusement 
parks, the Sunday baseball, moving-picture shows and 
theaters are entirely foreign to the proper observance 
of this day, and, if persisted in, will eventually lead to a 
more profane and lawless disregard for this sacred day, 
which means the downfall of our nation. Unless the 
Christian people of the land come to our rescue and stand 
firm for the laws that will be a safeguard to the Lord's 
Day, we are doomed by the ungodly of our own race as 
well as that great host of foreigners that is daily unload- 
ing upon our shores. 

The saving power, like all Christian development, 
must begin with the individual. When we learn to begin 
each week in a spirit of worshipful Christian service, 
and to crown each Lord's Day with the highest form of 
devotional living, then will the week be robbed of many 
things that now fret and annoy. There would come to 
us that peace that passeth understanding. Then life 
would have for us a clearer perspective and all our days 
would be rendered more tranquil and triumphant. 

Fayetteville, Ark. Louis D. Riddell. 



FAITHFULNESS 

There is no joy in life like that which comes from 
the consciousness of faithful service. "Without faith 
it is impossible to please God ;" and without faithfulness 
faith is dead. The wife's acknowledgment of the mar- 
riage relation between herself and husband is effective 
only as she is faithful to her marriage vows; and our 
faith in the Fatherhood of God is fruitful only as we 
are loyal and obedient sons to the spiritual teachings of 
Jesus. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 115 

"By faith Abraham offered Isaac." By this act of 
sacrifice is the character of his faith revealed. It passed 
from moral sentiment into an act of obedience, and in 
this concrete example Abraham found the testimony to 
his faith. Hence, faithfulness is the fulfillment of faith, 
even as Christ's example was the realization of the law. 
The law pointed the way in which man should walk, and 
Christ walked therein. Faith is the soul's secret attitude 
toward God, and faithfulness is that secret relation made 
manifest. 

Paul told King Agrippa that he had lived in all good 
conscience toward God until the day of his conversion 
on the road to Damascus. His religious activities were 
the results of a conscience developed in the atmosphere 
of Jewish traditions. To his consciousness these were 
authoritative oracles, and the institutions he guarded, 
Jehovah's earthly interests. It was in making faithful 
use of such light as he had that he maintained suscepti- 
bility of soul and reverence for God, the very nature to 
apprehend the "heavenly vision," and the moral courage 
to follow in its light. To know right and do it not is to 
blockade the channel of further revelation. To regard 
the church as the institution in which God's will is to be 
made effective, and deny it soulful and enthusiastic sup- 
port, is a most unpardonable inconsistency in discipleship. 

"Though time may dig the grave of creeds, 
And dogmas wither in the sod, 
My soul will keep the thought it needs — 
Its swerveless faith in God. 

"No matter how the world began, 

Nor where the march of science goes, 
My trust in something more than man 
Shall help me mend life's woes." 

M. B. AlNSWORTH. 



116 TRAINING TO TEACH 

DISOBEDIENCE 

(i Pet. 3: 20.) 

Introduction. — Recently I asked a high official of 
a great railroad what the first requisite of an employe 
was, and he answered, "Obedience." I then asked him 
what the second requisite was, and he answered, "Obedi- 
ence." I asked for the third requisite, and he answered, 
"Obedience." Is not our first duty to parents, to country 
and to God, obedience? Then, the reverse must be 
fraught with the greatest danger, and becomes our great- 
est sin. Sin or disobedience means strewn carcasses by 
the wayside (1 Kings 13). 

What has disobedience done? It caused banishment 
from the Garden of Eden and brought sin and death 
into the world (Gen. 3: 17; Rom. 5: 12). It caused the 
flood (Gen. 6:5-7). It caused the confusion of tongues 
(Gen. 11). It has caused all the wars and tears and 
broken hearts. It caused the death of our suffering 
Saviour. 

Disobedience brings sorrow, suffering, death. Nadab 
and Abihu (Lev. 10:1, 2). The nameless prophet (1 
Kings 13). Lot's wife (Gen. 19; cf. Luke 17:32). 
Because of it, Moses failed to enter into the promised 
land (Num. 20:7-12). Notice the results of profanity, 
licentiousness, dishonesty, indifference, and beware, be- 
ware, beware! 

WJtat disobedience will do. "Unto the resurrection 
of judgment," or damnation (John 5:28, 29), and the 
resurrection of damnation is death. "The wages of sin 
is death" (Rom. 6:23). "And it fell: and great was 
the fall thereof" (Matt. 7:26, 2y) y and that fall will be 
death. "And these shall go away into eternal punish- 
ment" (Matt. 25:46), and eternal punishment will be 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 117 

death, separation from life and light and God forever! 

Conclusion : The remedy : Accept Christ as your sin- 
offering. He is the Way, the Truth, the Life ; besides 
him there is no other. He is able, he is willing, he is 
ready to save you and to save you now. Will you let 
him do it? It is all in your hands (Rev. 3: 20). Amen. 

Montgomery, Ala. O. P. Spiegel. 



FAITHFULNESS 

(1 Cor. 4: 2.) 

Faithfulness is the crowning virtue. "We are stew- 
ards of the manifold grace of God." "Moreover it is 
required of stewards that a man be found faithful." In 
the affairs of the world and of the kingdom, nothing is 
more important than that a man be faithful to the trust 
committed to him. 

I. What do we mean by faithfulness? 

1. Literally speaking, faithfulness means fullness of 
faith, a faith that takes God at his word and works with 
him in the accomplishment of his task. 

2. Faithfulness is that faith which implies a knowl- 
edge of the Master's will. Not a blind and sentimental 
groping after truth, but an intelligent effort to know the 
revealed purpose and plan of God. 

3. It implies a devotion to one's task; a servant loyal 
to his lord. It was such that heard the commendation, 
"Well done, good and faithful servant." 

4. Our analysis would be incomplete without that 
steadfastness that is never daunted, but continues to the 
end. That stability of character and trustworthiness 
which is begotten by faith is sought in every line of busi- 
ness, as well as in the church. The man who makes 



118 TRAINING TO TEACH 

this virtue the ruling passion of his life is sure of double 
success, here and hereafter. 

II. Value of faithfulness shown in a negative way. 

1. The Christian life is one of noble desires and im- 
pulses ripening into deeds and character. Divine love 
plays upon every heart to the same intent. There is not 
a criminal behind the bars in whose heart there has not 
been born noble impulses, good resolutions and cherished 
plans. But the work was ceased when scarce begun. 
The fruit was blighted in the bud. 

2. History is full of beginnings never carried to com- 
pletion. Unfinished towers, plans immatured, hopes 
never realized. Examples : Lot's wife started to flee and 
looked back. The rich young ruler came running to the 
Master and went away sorrowful. Multitudes followed 
the Master, but, because of his hard sayings, they 
"turned back and walked with him no more." Ahab 
sent word to Ben-hadad: "Let not him that girdeth on 
his armor boast himself as he that putteth it off." Re- 
member that Christ, who is our goal, said: "I have 
glorified thee on earth; I have finished the work which 
thou gavest me to do." 

3. The cause of Christ is suffering and ofttimes in 
peril for want of faithfulness. Many Christians cheer- 
fully accept a given task or call to service, but, lacking 
this element of steadfastness, they grow weary and faint 
under the load in the face of the least difficulty and op- 
position. In terms familiar to the lovers of baseball, 
we may say, by the flourish of the bat when they come 
to the plate you expect a home run ; however, you are 
delighted to see them make it safe to first, while they 
usually die on third base. 

III. The glory is at the goal. 

1. In baseball nothing counts till we score. Paul said : 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 119 

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course." 
"Hold fast the beginning of thy confidence firm unto the 
end." "Be thou faithful unto death, and thou shalt re- 
ceive a crown of life." 

2. Christian leaders have learned to value above all 
things that steadfastness of character that wavers not, 
but continues undaunted through difficulties and dis- 
couragements. We should complete our tasks, then we 
shall avoid that remorse that hangs like a pall over the 
unfinished ruins of work begun. 

3. None fail but the one who gives up what God has 
given him to do. None succeeds but the one who holds 
out unto the end. 

Conclusion : "Wherefore, brethren, be ye stedfast, 
unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; 
inasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the 
Lord." Louis D. Riddell. 

Fayetteville, Ark. 



KINDNESS, OR LOVE AT ITS BEST 

(Isa. 66: 13.) 

Kindness is love at its best. It gives in a way that 
adds many-fold to the gift. It suggests all that is sweet, 
tender and comforting. It is the "not unto self" law. 

I. It means tenderness toward human frailties, errors 
and sorrows. This is the exquisite picture we have of 
God in both Old and New Testaments. "Like as a father 
pitieth his children, so Jehovah pitieth them that fear 
him." "Underneath are the everlasting arms." "As 
one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you," 
saith the Lord. We may sink low in pain and weakness, 
but his arms, like mother's, will always be underneath. 
We can not, unless we will it, fall out of his clasp. The 

(5) 



120 TRAINING TO TEACH 

assurance is that the tenderness of God toward our life, 
with all its joys and sorrows, its prosperities and adversi- 
ties, its happiness and hardships, shall not fail. 

But this is not only an attractive element in the 
Father's heart, it is a crowning grace in the Christian's 
life. No man is complete until some such great kindness 
possesses him. No man is great who does not feel tender 
toward tired feet and fainting hearts ; who does not feel 
that he must tunnel mountains, level hills, cut footpaths 
through the forests and shorten the journeys along which 
duty calls. A man may have a great intellect, but unless 
he has a great heart, a tender heart, he is not a great man. 
Like Napoleon, he may be a great fighter; or, like 
Carlyle, he may be a great bear; or, like Marie Antoi- 
nette, who ordered all beggars and paupers and cripples 
from her line of march as she was riding to her betrothal 
in the Notre Dame, she may be great in royalty — but all 
such are not great. Ours is an age that worships intel- 
lect, but that does not make it "the greatest thing in the 
world." Not that the gospel belittles brains. It simply 
will not assign to them first place. It says let the head 
rule the heart and you have the French Revolution ; but 
if you let the heart rule the head you have the Reforma- 
tion and the opening of dark Africa and sad India to the 
conquest of the gospel. 

II. But kindness is not only tender toward human 
frailties, but it lends a helping hand at a supreme self- 
sacrifice. The chief glory of God is found in the service 
that he renders, the measure of which is spelled out on 
Calvary. In the pouring out of his life upon the cruel 
tree we have the supreme sacrifice through which he 
would pass that he might succor men. He was denied, 
mocked, betrayed, spat upon and crucified. And why? 
Simply that he might assure man that there was no 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 121 

extremity to which he would not go in order to relieve 
man's sorrows and sins. 

So with the Christian, if he has love at its best. 
Service at a superlative self -cost will be the rule of his 
life. Some people are very full of eager helpfulness, of 
activity for others, and yet they are not always a comfort 
or strength to others. Our helpfulness varies much in 
degree, for the simple reason that some render service 
with limitation, while with others there is no extremity 
to which they will not go, no suffering that they will 
not bear, in order to serve man's frailties. A mother 
said to me, "My daughter makes a beautiful climate for 
me." Her life counted in helpfulness as well as what 
she did. Even so we may do our duties faithfully, con- 
scientiously, bearing our share of the burdens of life, 
and yet if we do not add the kind heart, the spirit of 
self-sacrifice, we fail in the most essential quality of love. 
Sharp and impatient words, frowns and chilling looks 
wholly overbalance the active service that we may render 
in practical ways. 

Kindness is tenderness toward human frailties, sor- 
rows and sins, manifested in a service at a supreme self- 
cost. W. F. Reagor. 

Portland, Ore. 

FAITH 

I want to speak to you from a short and simple text 
from the word of God and about a very important 
matter. The good Book says: "Without faith it is im- 
possible to please God;" "He that cometh to God must 
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that 
diligently seek him." 

I remember the days when I was a boy preacher. I 
was located at a county-seat in northern Indiana, and 



122 TRAINING TO TEACH 

on one occasion was invited to be the "chief speaker" at 
an afternoon service of an "annual meeting." These 
annual meetings were once quite popular among our 
people in the North Central States. All the churches in 
a given county would come together once a year for a 
three days' meeting. On Sunday it was made a great 
basket-dinner occasion, and people drove for miles and 
miles to the grove v/here the meeting was usually held. 
On this particular occasion I had preached with all the 
fervor of youth upon the subject of sin. I do not re- 
member anything I said, but I will never forget a com- 
ment which a deacon who drove me to my station made 
to those sitting in the front seat of the wagon with me. 
I could not help hearing, and what I heard taught me 
a better lesson in sermonizing than any which I ever 
received from the college professors. This was it: 
"Aye," he said, "sin, sin; I wish we had another name 
for that, because the word has become so common that 
the thing no longer pierces our conscience." Now, do 
you know there is a great lesson in this for the preacher ? 
It warns us to avoid hackneyed religious language, and, 
instead of well-worn theological terms, to make use of 
words more fresh and modern. 

My text on this occasion has brought to my mind 
this incident. The chief word in the text is "Faith." 
"Without faith it is impossible to please God." Now, 
the thing suggested by that word is one of the greatest 
things in the world. Faith: "By grace are ye saved 
through faith." "Now abideth these three, faith, hope, 
love." Let us see if we can suggest some synonyms or 
equivalents for this term which rolls so easily from our 
tongues. 

Admiration. — What do you think of "admiration" as 
a substitute for "faith"? Suppose we should talk about 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 1 23 

admiration for Christ instead of faith in Christ. That 
would be very intelligible at any rate. I often think that 
when we say we have faith in some person, what we 
really mean is that we admire him. Have you ever ob- 
served how readily a schoolboy learns from a teacher 
whom he admires ? You let your freckled-faced Johnnie 
be attending a school presided over by some ugly, 
slovenly, lazy person, and the first thing you know he 
will be playing ''hookey ;" but let him attend a school 
where some bright, beautiful and w r ell-dressed woman 
has him in charge, and see how pert he is in all his 
bocks and how prompt in all his studies. I remember 
well when I was in college we had a fellow in school by 
the name of Nick Yost. There was nothing exception- 
ally bright about him and he was very ordinary in most 
of his classes. After he had been in college a few 
months we began to notice how he would imitate the 
president. One day he came to school with a broad- 
brimmed slouch hat just like the president wore. The 
next thing we knew he was walking around with a cane, 
whirling it, just as the president carried his. Presently 
he appeared with a double-breasted sack coat just like 
the president wore. Pretty soon in the debating club 
we noticed the peculiar manner of speech that belonged 
to the president, so we boys began to call him "Prexie," 
and he went through college wearing that name; but, 
say, he was the brightest fellow in mathematics, and the 
president taught mathematics. 

There is no other son of man who is so universally 
admired as is Jesus Christ. His name is above every 
name. Children lisp it along with "Father" and 
"Mother," and even unbelievers and skeptics unite in 
saying, "Greater than Jesus never lived." I am sure 
you all share, every one of yon, this admiration for 



124 TRAINING TO TEACH 

Christ. For his character you have an admiration that 
can not be exceeded. Doubtless you go further and say, 
with me, that he is whatever he claimed to be, and you 
are ready to put in your creed anything which it can be 
clearly proved he taught. I will agree with you that 
"admiration" is too cold a word to substitute for 
"faith," but certainly it is a part of the subsoil of our 
Christian faith. 

■Enthusiasm. — Let me take another equivalent for 
"faith." What would you think of putting "enthusiasm" 
in the place of "faith," and, instead of speaking about 
faith in Christ, begin talking about enthusiasm for 
Christ? "Enthusiasm" is a word we are rather fond of 
these days. Men are proud to think their boys are 
enthusiastic in anything they undertake. Baseball, foot- 
ball, launching in a business enterprise, undertaking a 
profession — whatever it be — a father is always glad that 
his son goes at a thing with enthusiasm. There is noth- 
ing more important in an army than enthusiasm for a 
leader. This is the secret of the victories achieved by 
many generals. Napoleon, Washington and other great 
leaders had thousands of men who were willing to die, 
if need be, for their leader. This is the secret of the 
popularity of many great men. The popular heroes, the 
men at the mention of whose names a crowd is brought 
to its feet with prolonged cheers — these are the men that 
succeed on election day. 

Now, Christianity is a cause; it is a battle of truth 
and righteousness against falsehood, worldliness and 
ungodliness. It calls for warm hearts, strong hands and 
resolute wills ; it calls for effort and sacrifice and devo- 
tion. Indeed, my friends, one of the very best forms of 
faith, although it may go by a different name, is enthu- 
siasm. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 125 

Worship. — Another substitute for "faith" which I 
would mention to-day is "worship." The dictionary, I 
believe, defines "worship" as superlative admiration. It 
is such an admiration as prostrates a man in soul and 
body before the object of admiration. The English 
Church prayer-book, if I mistake not, in its marriage 
service, makes the bridegroom say, "With my body I 
thee worship." You will recall the popular outburst of 
feeling that swept all civilized nations when Queen Vic- 
toria celebrated her diamond jubilee, and it would not be 
far wrong to say of her at that time that the whole earth 
worshiped that good Christian queen. But of course 
this term is only properly used when applied to the rela- 
tion of man to God, and its simplest expression is prayer. 

Some people have hesitated about praying to Christ. 
I remember a good elder who called me down one time 
because I had said in my sermon that we ought to pray 
to Christ. His injunction was that we ought to pray to 
God in the name of Jesus Christ. I was never able, 
anyhow, to think myself clearly through the abstruse 
theologies of some men. When I hear people debating 
about the Godhead and trying to explain the mystery, 
I sometimes think the more they say, the muddier they 
get. This I do know, that the early Christians, after his 
resurrection, worshiped Jesus Christ, and they prayed to 
him often; and, anyhow, the whole Christian world to- 
day, as a matter of fact, worships Jesus, else the old 
hymns would not be so popular. Did you ever take your 
hymn-book and run through it and mark the hymns that 
are simply prayers addressed to Jesus? Think of a few 
of them ; such as, "My faith looks up to Thee, thou 
Lamb of Calvary, Saviour divine ;" "Rock of Ages, cleft 
for me," "Just as I am, without one plea," etc., etc. You 
will be surprised at the number. 



126 TRAINING TO TEACH 

Now, this idea of worship as an element of faith 
brings out so prominently the personality of the object 
of faith. Faith is not a belief in propositions ; it is not 
the acceptance of dogmas. The object of a man's faith 
is not what, but who, and prayer brings that out, because 
it is the meeting of person with person ; it is the contact 
of the sinner with the Saviour. No, perhaps it would 
not do to substitute this word "worship" for the word 
"faith," but I am very sure it brings out in a clearer 
light the right idea embodied in faith. 

Obedience. — How would it do to take the word "obe- 
dience" as a substitute for "faith"? "Know ye not, that 
to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his serv- 
ants ye are to whom ye obey?" The faith that saves 
is the faith that obeys. "He that loveth me keepeth my 
commandments." "Faith without works is dead." You 
show me your faith by your works, and I by my works 
will show you my faith. The good confession is an act 
of obedience, and you will remember that the good Book 
says: "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord 
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath 
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Here 
salvation is ascribed to confession and faith. I take 
it to mean that if a man has real faith he will confess. 

Baptism is another form of obedience. "He that be- 
lieveth and is baptized shall be saved." If we have faith, 
we will obey, and a faith that saves is a faith that in- 
cludes the disposition to obey. 

Now, I have proposed to-day four substitutes for 
faith, and I make use of them very often in my preach- 
ing: (i) Admiration, (2) enthusiasm, (3) worship, (4) 
obedience. I would not be willing, of course, to erase 
from the Bible that word "faith" and substitute any one 
of these terms I have used to-day, but I think these 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 127 

terms are included in the concept of faith as so often 
used by our Saviour and so frequently repeated in ser- 
mon and song. Let us be glad we have that rich word 
"faith," and let us be sure that we are pleasing God by 
exercising it. Grant K. Lewis 



LOVE 



Love is the gracious affection of the soul which in- 
duces delight in God, admiration of his nature, a desire 
to enjoy his favor, a disposition to praise him and to 
promote his glory. 

In the thirteenth chapter of I Corinthians, the nature 
of love is given. Her incomparable painter has there 
drawn her at full length in all her fair proportions . 
Every attitude is full of grace ; every lineament, of 
beauty. The whole delineation is perfect, entire, want- 
ing nothing. "It suffereth long." "Love never faileth." 
When tongues and prophecies cease, love shall shine and 
sing in the kingdom of heaven. Faith will go with us 
to the gate of paradise, and will bid us farewell ; but 
white-robed love will enter with us through the gates 
into the city, and never leave us. Knowledge may fade 
away, but love shall flourish in immortal bloom. Love is 
the master principle of all good society. It is the holy 
bond which connects man with man, angel with angel, 
angels with men, and all with God. Love is an emana- 
tion from God's own purity; "for God is love, and he 
that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him." 

In the tropical regions grow large orchids of won- 
drous beauty. These plants subsist on the trunks of huge 
decaying trees Since decomposition proceeds rapidly in 
this hot region, the dying giants of the forest would, if 
left alone, fill the air with foul and poisonous gases. 



128 TRAINING TO TEACH 

But the orchid, as it swings its rich festoons over the 
vaulting boughs, covers the deformity of the tree with 
the mantle of its beauty, absorbs all the foul exhalations, 
and turns them into the perfumes of its own sweet 
flowers. Love is this beautiful orchid. Love spreads 
the mantle of tender and invincible grace over human 
frailty. It clears away those harsh suspicions, evil 
thoughts and cruel slanders that, like noxious gases, 
poison the moral atmosphere. It exhales the aroma of 
sympathy, love and tenderness. In this cold world it is 
known only as a rare exotic. Its native home is heaven. 
It issues from the throne of God, and fills with its fra- 
grant beauty the realms of glory. 

Lisbon, O. Traverce Harrison. 



THE HOLY SPIRIT 

Text. — "The Spirit himself beareth witness with our 
spirit, that we are children of God." — Rom. 8 : 16. 

Introduction. — Some, no doubt, preach the Holy 
Spirit to the neglect of other important subjects ; some 
greatly neglect to present the importance of this divine 
subject. Let us meditate upon it these few moments 
and enter into His fellowship; let us notice something 
of His work. 

To whom does the Holy Spirit come? He comes to 
the world as a convicter of sin (John 16:8; cf. Acts 2: 
37). He comes to the baptized (Matt. 3:16; Acts 2: 
38). He comes to the obedient (Acts 5 : 32). 

The dove was sent forth from the ark, but at eventide 
returned, and Noah understood the waters would not 
permit the dove to rest above them ; the second day the 
experience was the same ; but the third day the bird 
returned not, and Noah knew it had found a permanent 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 129 

abiding-place. The dove is the emblem of the Holy 
Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given to Abraham, to 
Moses, to Isaiah, but abode not permanently on earth. 
The Holy Spirit rested upon the Saviour's head, but re- 
mained not permanently. The Holy Spirit was given 
again on Pentecost, and abode permanently and has been 
carrying on his mission ever since. 

What does the Holy Spirit do? He convicts the 
world (John 16: 8-n ; Acts 24: 25). He helps the saints 
dwelling in them (Rom. 8:26, 27). He is our everlast- 
ing Comforter (John 14: 16, 17). We do not receive the 
Holy Spirit to-day in that miraculous manifestation 
called the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but we should be 
filled with the Spirit, we should be led of the Spirit; the 
need of the church to-day is more Spirit-filled men and 
women to do God's bidding. 

How does the Holy Spirit operate? He bears witness 
by testifying (John 15:26); he testifies by speaking 
(John 16: 13, 14) ; he speaks through his word as any 
other witness (Matt. 10: 19, 20; 1 Cor. 2: 12, 13). The 
Holy Bible is the deposition of the Holy Spirit, and is 
just as true and reliable as are his spoken words. If one 
believes not the Word, neither would he believe the Holy 
Spirit should he hear his audible voice. 

Hozv may I know I have the Spirit? The Holy 
Spirit dictates what we should do. This is recorded in 
words of the Holy Spirit in the Sacred Writings. Our 
spirit tells us whether we have complied with the condi- 
tion laid down. (See Gal. 5:22, 23 for a catalogue of 
the fruit of the Spirit.) He pleads with sinners through 
his word, whether by reading, by the Sunday-school 
teacher, the minister, the evangelist or the Christian 
parent or example of the Christian life (Rev. 3:20). 
And the sin against the Holy Spirit, the unpardonable 



130 TRAINING TO TEACH 

sin, is rejecting the teaching of the Holy Spirit. It is 
the rejection of our last chance. The world rejected 
God, the Father; but there was to be another chance 
in the coming of a Saviour. Now, Jesus says : "You 
rejected the Father, but you have another chance in me. 
You are going to reject me, and still you will have an- 
other chance in the Holy Spirit's teaching. But if you 
reject the Holy Spirit, there is to be no other chance. 
The world will be lost, and lost forever." Friends, 
every one who is rejecting the teaching of the gospel 
is in the process of sinning against the Holy Spirit, 
whether in the church or out of it, and when the point 
of repentance is past, and it does sometimes pass, then 
will be finished the sin against the Holy Spirit, the un- 
pardonable sin! Brethren, let us imbibe his teaching, 
let us love it, let us obey it. Friendly sinner, hear the 
Spirit's pleadings, warnings, and yield your hearts and 
lives to him now! O. P. Spiegel. 

Montgomery, Ala. 



THE PEACEMAKERS 

Jesus said: "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they 
shall be called the children of God" (Matt. 5:9). 

There is a constant struggle and war going on in 
this world. Part of it is normal and necessary and part 
of it is abnormal and unnecessary. Tennyson says : 

"For nature is one with Rapine, a harm no preacher can heal ; 
The Mayfly is torn by the swallow, the swallow is speared by 

the shrike, 
And the whole little world where I sit is a world of plunder 

and prey." 

Holland says: 

"And nothing can loose the hunger pinch 
But death's wild cry." 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 131 

Shelley speaks with horror of the man who can 

"Kill the lamb that looks him in the face." 

And at eighteen he had gone off into vegetarianism, put- 
ting himself on a level with the old Egyptian and the 
Brahmin, who, rather than kill a snake or a tiger, would 
allow them to kill him. 

Chemical affinity not only builds up, but pulls down, 
and everything that lives, kills something in order to do 
so. Jesus Christ did not come into the world to change 
this. He ate the paschal lamb (Matt. 26: 17), and even 
after his own resurrection he ate broiled fish (Luke 
24:42). 

The passages in Isaiah (chap. 11 and 65) which speak 
of animal tranquility are Messianic, and refer not to 
beasts, but men. Then there is a conflict between our 
varying talents — commercial friction which is normal and 
necessary. Anarchism is the deification of the individual ; 
Socialism is the deification of government to eliminate 
competition. And yet every inch of the world's progress 
has been gained by competition. When that ceases we 
are gone. 

Then there is the conflict between right and wrong, 
good and evil, light and darkness, Christ and Belial (2 
Cor. 6: 14-18). Joshua was to proclaim no truce, much 
less a settled peace, and blow no trumpet of recall to 
Israel, until the last filthy and accursed Canaanite had 
been impaled upon their avenging spears (Ex. 23:32, 
33; 34:io). 

He who makes peace where war ought to be is not 
a tranquilizer, but a temporizer. 

Jesus came to make peace. He was and is the great 
Peacemaker of God's universe. 

Peace was the message which the angels announced 



132 TRAINING TO TEACH 

the night he was born (Luke 2: 14). And yet he said 
(Matt. 10: 34-36) that he had come to send a sword, to 
set at variance father and son, daughter and mother, and 
daughter-in-law and mother-in-law. (Mr. Beecher said 
that ordinarily this last requires no divine interposition.) 

The truth is that Jesus came to make peace where 
peace ought to be and war where war ought to be. He 
came to make peace between God and man, between dif- 
ferent races and nations of men, and between individuals 
in all cases where the matter of difference had nothing 
to do with the salvation of the soul. 

For this he lived and died, rose and ascended, and 
gave the Holy Spirit to the church (Eph. 2: 11-22; Gal. 
3:26-29). The idea that man naturally and necessarily 
hates God is the final blasphemy. There is no atheism 
beyond this. And all alienation based upon race or 
nation or opinion is a crime. As followers of Jesus, let 
us by word and deed make peace where peace ought to 
be. You may do a thousand things in life without 
changing your nature, but if you make your own peace 
with God and your fellow-men and then go about the 
world making peace between men and God and between 
man and man, you become by virtue of your occupation 
God's own dear child. James Vernon. 

Henderson, Ky. 



GENTLENESS 

(1 Cor. 13.) 

If there is one thing that we can count on in all our 
dealing with Christ and the Father, it is gentleness. It 
is the "love that suffereth long and is kind." "Thy 
gentleness hath made me great," said the Psalmist. "A 
bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 133 

he not quench," said Jesus. When God appeared among 
men in the person of Jesus Christ this grace was so 
conspicuous that men could not understand it. A God 
suffering the contradictions of men, a God thwarted and 
baffled by men, a God serving and waiting upon men, a 
God doing nothing by violence, a God without thunder- 
bolts of fire, a God moaning and weeping in the anguish 
of his great love, was beyond the orbit of their appre- 
hension. They were looking for one who was shod with 
iron, and able to trample underfoot all that was hostile 
and blasphemous. In a word, they could not understand 
that spirit that would not retaliate, that was not easily 
provoked, and that would not give up hoping and loving 
to the end. There was no rough handling of the broken 
soul, and no despair as to the outcome of the spark of 
faith. He bore with men under all their spiritual dead- 
ness and in the midst of the ashes of all their burnt-out 
resolves, and sought diligently for the spark of right 
feeling and thinking that his own devotion had kindled, 
to the end that he might nurse them into a strong faith 
in God. 

This is the crowning grace of lovingkindness. It is 
sympathy of the profoundest kind. It is the moderation 
of one's feeling toward the thick-headed and dull-souled 
moral perversity and selfishness of the world. It does 
not storm at the soul that is in the slime and darkness of 
a sinful habit and a corrupt nature. 

In Paul's dream, the thirteenth chapter of First Cor- 
inthians, a dream realized in his own life, gentleness is 
the spirit that "suffereth long," that "envies not," that 
does "not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is 
not provoked, thinketh not evil." But how many, while 
praising this wonderful picture, think seriously about liv- 
ing it? It "thinketh no evil;" questions no motives, is 



134 TRAINING TO TEACH 

not suspicious, nor retentive in its memory of evil done. 
It writes its personal wrongs in ashes or in the water. 
"It beareth all things;" that is, it endures wrongs and 
evils for His sake, and covers them with a beautiful 
reticence. "It believeth all things ;" it is opposite to the 
spirit that drags everything down; that paints it in the 
darkest color, and makes the worst of it. It is alien 
to the spirit of the cynic, the pessimist, the anonymous 
slanderer and the secret detractor. "It hopeth all 
things;" it is averse to sourness and gloom. It takes 
the cheerful and sunny view of the world, of men and 
of God. And then, as a climax to this superlative grace, 
"it endureth all things." 

Yes, "it endureth all things," as He endured. 
Through doubt and darkness, amidst adversity and 
thwartings, despite opposing circumstances and question- 
ings, it is persistent. And when we reach this ability 
to endure; when we can wait in serene patience in the 
midst of our trials; when we are content with the day 
for what it may be in itself, even though it be very dark, 
anticipating a coming joy ; leaving its birth-hours to Him 
who keeps the times and seasons to himself — in a word, 
when we have attained this high point of experience, we 
are near the boundary of our earthly growth. This ex- 
cellency, as pointed out by the word "endure," seems to 
be the great final work of the Holy Spirit in the human 
heart. It suggests a trained and well-poised power of 
soul. It is a love that enters into a rest and a repose 
that is godlike. 

Mrs. Booth went to Sheffield to start her work of 
redemption, but an angry mob met her and hurled at her 
every foul epithet imaginable. They threw eggs at her, 
cursed her, mocked her like so many drunken demons, 
and silenced her in the middle of her message. She 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 135 

Gtood before them on the platform until she burst into 
tears, and then she said, "My dear friends, I love you." 
If gentle, we will do likewise. W. F. Reagor. 

Portland, Ore. 



PUNISHMENT 

(Matt. 25:46.) 

Introduction. — 1. This is not a parable, but a pic- 
ture. 

2. Some people do not consider it polite for a preacher 
to discuss this theme. But hell should be preached (1) 
because it exists, (2) because millions are going there, 
(3) because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of 
wisdom 

I. Human. 

1. Home. Parents punish children. "Spare the rod 
and spoil the child." 

2. Church. New Testament provides for discipline 
or punishment of the disorderly. 

3. State. Civil authorities punish violators of law. 
Blackstone says: "This is not by way of atonement for 
the crime committed; but as a precaution against future 
offenses of the same kind." 

II. Divine. This is a more serious matter than hu- 
man punishment (Matt. 10:28). 

1. Who? Hell was never meant for you. It was 
prepared for the devil and his angels (Rev. 22: 15). 

2. Why? Because God is just as well as merciful. 

3. How? Banishment from the presence of God and 
the good. Outer darkness. A fiery lake and an undying 
worm. If these terms are symbols, the real thing will be 
bad enough. 

4. Where? I don't know. I am not interested in its 



136 TRAINING TO TEACH 

location. I am concerned only in keeping as far away 
from it as possible. 

5. When? With the final appearing* of the Lord at 
the end of the world. 

6. How long? The punishment of the wicked will 
last as long as the reward of the righteous. Eternal 
punishment — eternal life. Same word in both cases. Be 
careful how you explain away the first, lest with it you 
explain away the second. 

Conclusion: 1. Purpose of this sermon not to scare 
one into the church, but that the seriousness of sin may 
be seen. 

2. Punishment may be escaped by acceptance of the 
terms of forgiveness. 

3. "Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the 
sin of the world." Francis M. Biddle. 

Wellsburg, W. Va. 



ANGER 

According to the Authorized Version, the word 
"anger" is found about 150 times in the Old Testament, 
and approximately one-half of these passages speak of 
God's anger because of the sins of his people. In the 
New Testament the word is found but three times, and 
the adjectival form, "angry," five times; but in addition 
to these passages the word "wrath" is used forty-five 
times in the New Testament, and of this number twenty- 
nine references are from exactly the same Greek word 
that is elsewhere translated "anger." Of the other six- 
teen texts derived from another word and translated 
"wrath," ten attribute this passion to God. 

The beginner in Bible study is quite likely to become 
confused because of seeming contradictions to be found 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 137 

in these passages, of which the following is an example: 
"Put off all these ; anger, wrath, malice," etc. (Col. 3:8), 
and, "Be ye angry and sin not" (Eph. 4:26). In Eph. 
4:31 it is spoken of as a sin, while in Mark 3:5 the 
statement is made that "Jesus looked upon them in 
anger." 

It is always well to gather up all the statements of 
God's word on any subject before attempting to har- 
monize any seeming differences. The other passages will 
help to explain away our difficulties, for some subjects 
are like mountains of which no one picture can give a 
complete conception. We must as far as possible see 
them from every viewpoint before attempting to sketch 
their outlines. 

In Matt. 5 : 22 the good Teacher said, "Whoever is 
angry with his brother without cause is in danger of the 
judgment." In Tit. 7:7 we are taught that a bishop 
must be "not soon angry." In Rom. 12: 19 we are ex- 
horted not to avenge ourselves, but rather to give place 
to wrath, for God will punish every wrong. In Jas. 1 : 
19, 20 we are taught to be "swift to hear and slow to 
wrath, for the wrath of man worketh not the righteous- 
ness of God." 

The difference between the two lies in the object 
against which they may be directed. If our passion to 
destroy is against the evil, it is commendable and divine. 
If it is directed against the person in which the evil 
manifests itself, it is carnal and always wrong. Christ 
hates sin, but loves the sinner. Our deepest and pro- 
foundest resentment should be aroused by the presence 
and practice of evil, but at the same time our tenderest 
compassion should go out to the individual, demon- 
possessed, who is under its power and becomes the 
channel of its operation. It is true that the bitterest 



138 TRAINING TO TEACH 

invectives of Christ seemed to have been hurled against 
persons, but this was true because they seemed to have 
been wholly evil, entirely past repentance. His most 
touching prayer was for the ones who derided him on the 
cross and his murderers became the charter members of 
his church. The problem becomes clearer when we re- 
duce it to its simplest form. We are always to love the 
good and hate evil. We are to love persons in so far 
as they are good or have the capacity of becoming good, 
the possibility of being saved. We are justified in our 
anger against the sin in their lives, against their lives in 
so far as they are sinful. But this anger must never be 
coupled with malice, the desire for revenge, for "Venge- 
ance is mine, saith the Lord." Our work is to eradicate 
and exterminate sin, but to save the sinner. Righteous 
anger may be a most powerful incentive, while unholy 
wrath is the agency that entirely defeats our purpose. 
Fullerton, Cal. Bruce Brown. 



FORBEARANCE 

Forbearance is a characteristic of the Christian life 
which indicates the possession of certain important 
graces. It is not so much a grace as it is the expression 
of graces. It marks the presence of love, mildness, 
meekness and patience in one's nature, hence in every act 
of forbearance we behold mildness and meekness, and 
behind it suspect love and patience. 

The real essence of forbearance is love. Where love 
is weak and unstable, forbearance is feeble ; therefore it 
must have the strong support of love upon which to lean. 

Forbearance is the exercise of patience. It takes a 
firm stand in one's nature against hastiness, irascibility, 
ill-temper and impatience. It is the sweet internal influ- 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 139 

ence in man's nature which stills the storm, sends gleams 
of sunshine into gathering clouds and puts a blessed calm 
into threatening tempests. It holds the teasing elements 
of human nature in check. 

The most sublime expression of mildness and meek- 
ness is forbearance ; the most suggestive strength of 
forbearance is mildness and meekness. In service they 
work co-ordinately, in benefits they contribute mutually. 
Like a tripod they lean together, giving support to one 
another. In life's conflict they are man's triplets of 
honor. Without mildness, forbearance is lonesome ; 
without meekness, forbearance is unteachable; therefore 
we should house them in the same chamber of the soul. 

The charitable characteristic of forbearance makes it 
considerate of the faults and weaknesses of others. Al- 
though it may discover a fault, it does not linger to spit 
fire at it. Forbearance does not possess that habit of 
the human buzzard which searches for the putrid and 
hovers in satisfaction over the rottenness in other peo- 
ple's lives. It may see and never exhibit, it may know 
and never tell, it may feel and never intimate, because it 
is always calm, charitable and judicious in handling the 
rights of others. You may realize that forbearance 
knows, and yet never be able to draw that knowledge 
out. You may behold forbearance as the expression of 
calmness, and yet feel that its deliberations are terrific, 
but silent. 

Forbearance is not a piece of the Christian's armor, 
but it is a part of every piece. If truth is the girdle, 
forbearance is its buckle; if righteousness is the breast- 
plate, forbearance is its strength ; if the gospel is the 
shoe, forbearance is its sole; if faith is the shield, for- 
bearance is its outer coating; if salvation is the helmet, 
forbearance is its ornament ; if God's word is the sword, 



140 TRAINING TO TEACH 

forbearance is its hilt. Forbearance finds a place in 
every quality and experience of the Christian life ; there- 
fore its protection and reinforcement in our nature is of 
vital importance. Truly can we say, as the majestic 
mountain peak stands in proud security unshaken upon 
"the rock-ribbed earth," so must the rich, abiding expe- 
riences of every Christian soldier rest upon forbearence. 
Lawrenceburg, Ind. George C. Waggoner. 



COVETOUSNESS 

"Take heed and beware of covetousness ; for a man's 
life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which 
he possesseth." — Luke 12: 15. "Covetousness which is 
idolatry." — Col. 3:5. 

I. Introduction. — The Bible is a fourfold book. 

1. Truths to be believed. It does not contain all 
truths, but only such as are essential to the saving of the 
soul. These truths are such as man, unaided by inspira- 
tion, could not discover. Illustration : Man may with his 
chart and compass find the path to the poles of the earth, 
but never to the poles of eternity. 

2. Commands to be obeyed. The only possible ex- 
cuse for a command is that it be obeyed. They are given 
in love. They are only for our good. They test man's 
attitude to God and prove man's love. The commands 
which cover man's part in the saving of his soul are easy 
to be understood. 

3. Promises of blessings to be received. We can not 
fully understand the promises and the method of their 
fulfillment, but we should remember that here we are 
dealing with the infinite Father's part in saving the soul 
and blessing man. 

4. Warnings to be heeded. The warnings sound 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 141 

harsh and unlovely. They furnish some with an excuse 
to criticize the Bible, yet they are given in the same love 
as the beautiful promise. Illustration : Surely that neigh- 
bor shows as much love to my child who warns it of 
death when it is approaching the car-tracks as that 
neighbor who gives the child a bag of candy, yet the 
child in its childishness appreciates the candy much more 
than the warning. 

II. Covetousness is forbidden by the Almighty, both 
in command and warning. This he does in his wisdom 
and love for man. 

1. There is no prohibition in the Bible of anything 
except what is hurtful to man. The guns of heaven are 
turned only on sin. 

2. Covetousness is the father of dishonesty, lying, 
deceit, hatred and murder. 

3. Covetousness kills love, blights sympathy and 
blinds the eyes to God and righteousness. 

4. Covetousness stands between man and the Christ 
who is the only Saviour. 

5. Covetousness is classed as idolatry. It is there- 
fore the breaking of the "first" and "great" command- 
ment. It is listed with the most revolting sins. 

6. Covetousness is as frequently the sin of the poor 
as of the rich. It is the inordinate longing for and striv- 
ing for earthly things to the neglect of heavenly things. 

7. Covetousness robs us of earthly joys and gives 
none for those it takes. It does not stop at that, but 
will rob us of God, heaven and our soul's salvation. 

III. The cure for covetousness, and the only cure, is 
Christ. 

1. Where Christ comes in, covetousness goes out. 
The two can not abide together. 

2. Christ is a certain cure, and the only cure. 



142 TRAINING TO TEACH 

3. Covetousness destroys, Christ saves. 

4. To accept, to obey, to follow him, is the Father's 
way to forgiveness, happiness, joy, peace, abundance, 
riches and glory. C. J. Sharp. 



honor 

The phrase, "a man of honor/' is not found in Scrip- 
ture; in truth, it is not a Biblical conception. 

A man of honor is one who renders to himself such 
respect, reverence or worship that he will do nothing 
which, in his judgment, degrades or defiles himself. He 
will do nothing, nor will he permit any other to do any- 
thing, which subverts his spirit of self-worship. 

The man-of-honor class has given us many noble 
citizens, for self -worship is the highest form of idola- 
try. When Adam, the friend and worshiper of God, 
started in his retrograde course, his first step downward 
was to the plane of self- worship. "Ye shall be as gods" 
was the lie that lured him ; the desire to be such that he 
could worship himself was the temptation that seduced 
him. 

If a man worships God, he sacrifices himself rather 
than profane the name or person of the Deity; but if a 
man worships himself, he sacrifices others rather than 
permit his honor to be sullied. The man of honor was 
a duelist until public opinion heaped upon him a weight 
of disapprobation which overbalanced his own sense of 
self- worship. 

If a man of honor lives in a community of high 
standards, his life will be of a high type, for he craves 
the reverence and respect of his fellows. Being a self- 
worshiper, he naturally desires that his person be wor- 
shiped by all those about him. But if the environment 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 143 

be governed by low and base ideals, then he adjusts his 
life to please those standards. Thus he becomes good 
or bad according to the whims of his supposed wor- 
shipers — for, in truth, the worship of others is largely a 
fiction of his own mind. 

But the man of God is governed by no fluctuating 
law. As God is unchangeable, the ideas and motives 
which control God's worshipers remain fixed and staple. 
The rising, falling, eddying tides of ever-shifting envi- 
ronment attack the foundations of his character in vain, 
for it rests upon the Rock of ages. 

Changing the figure, the man of honor, when he has 
risen to his highest position, and attained the superlative 
excellence of his calling, is still a self-worshiper, and 
dwells outside the walls of Eden, and the cherub with 
the flaming sword forever forbids his entrance upon the 
sacred land until he abandons his self -worship and be- 
comes a worshiper of God, 

But to the worshiper of God not only is Eden an open 
garden, but even the gates of the eternal city swing 
wide, that he may enter and become a citizen and have 
a right to the tree of life, for those who honor God shall 
be honored of God. P. Y. Pendleton. 



LOVE 

Text. — "But the greatest of these is love." — I Cor. 

Love eludes and defies a complete and satisfying 
definition. Lexicons and encyclopedias consume much 
space trying to tell us what it is. One may illustrate 
it, and select fine and charming instances of it from the 
uses made of it by the foremost orators, artists and 
literati of the world, but the best definition and the most 



144 TRAINING TO TEACH 

beautiful instance of its use leave the hearts of men still 
hungry for something more than has yet been told. The 
reason for this is evident. As God is beyond and above 
definition, so also is love, for "God is love." 

But we are not speaking here of love in its mystic 
sense; nor are we speaking of that strange, sweet, won- 
derful sentiment under whose ministry the male and 
female hearts mate into a oneness so intimate, tender and 
true that they "are no more twain, but one." We are to 
study love in the sense of a great, wonderful, lofty duty 
and privilege as it descends upon the human soul under 
the command of Him who said: "So ought ye to love 
one another;" "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and 
thy neighbor as thyself." Of this love we should know 
much, for much has been written for us in God's holy 
word. 

The finest dissertation ever made upon love is the 
one Paul has left for us in the thirteenth chapter of i 
Corinthians. Study this chapter after the following 
plan, and you will have all you need to know of love 
until all the fullness of its mystery and sweetness shall 
be revealed to you when you speak face to face with God. 

About verses i and 3, inclusive, draw a brace or 
parenthesis, then read those three verses by themselves, 
and then write down, "The absolute and indispensable 
necessity for love." Like this: "1 Cor. 12: 1-3: The ab- 
solute and indispensable necessity for love." These 
verses will show you that you might speak like an angel, 
foretell like a prophet, know like God, have all faith, 
and "have not love," and you would still be nothing in 
the sight of God. Treat the next four verses after the 
same method: "1 Cor. 13:4-7: The passingly beautiful 
character of love." Read these verses and you will dis- 
cover that love is patient, kind, does not envy, boasts not, 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 145 

is not proud, does not behave unseemly, is not selfish, is 
not easily provoked, is not suspicious of people, has no 
delight in wickedness, rejoices in the victories of truth, 
meek, believing, hopeful. What a character! No mys- 
tery here. All can understand this. 

Now, take the next six verses: I Cor. 13:8-13. 
These teach the enduring quality, yes, the eternity of 
love. Now read these verses and you will learn that 
love will never fail. Prophecies may be unfulfilled, 
tongues may cease, knowledge may vanish away, but 
love will abide. It will remain when faith's function 
shall have been completed, when hope's precious dreams 
shall have become fruition and hope's work is done for- 
ever, when we shall have said farewell to the "sweet 
hour of prayer;" indeed, when all the specific duties 
associated with our moral and spiritual culture here in 
this earth-life shall have been performed for the last 
time, still we shall love and love to love. Faith will 
be substituted with knowledge when we are with God 
in heaven. Hope will surrender to the joy of glad pos- 
session, but love will be just as necessary there as it is 
here. "The greatest of these is love." 

Wallace Tharp. 



CONVERSION 

(Acts 3:19.) 

Introduction. — The mystery oftentimes thrown 
around this subject, and the consequent confusion, is 
entirely unscriptural and uncalled for. It is simple, and 
necessarily so, because it is a proposition for all classes 
of men — both learned and unlearned — to consider. If 
an occasion of confusion, it is of man and not of God, 
"for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace" (1 



146 TRAINING TO TEACH 

Cor. 14: 33). A proper understanding of the term itself 
renders it a matter of clearness. The Greek term "epis- 
irepho" primarily signifies "to turn to/' physically, 
morally and spiritually. In every instance except one, 
when used in the New Testament, the American Re- 
vision has discarded the Anglicized Latin word "con- 
version" and used the plain, unmistakable term "turn" 
in its various forms, as follows: Matt. 12:44; Matt. 13: 
15; Mark 4:12; Mark 5:30; Luke 1:16, 17; Luke 8: 
55; Acts 3:19; Luke 22:32; Acts 9:35; Acts 11:21; 
Acts 15:19-36; Acts 16:18; Acts 26:20. The excep- 
tion to this is found in Jas. 5 : 20, and here there seems 
to be no good reason for the change. That man is not 
a passive being in his turning is expressly taught by the 
fact that the word when used in moral and spiritual rela- 
tion is always used in the active voice, the subject acting 
for himself. 

From the above we must necessarily conclude that 
conversion is the turning of one's mind and life ; hence 
there is 

I. An implication of something from which and to 
which to turn. To turn from one thing, I am compelled 
to turn to another. This is true both as to mind and body. 
This is Paul's idea of conversion in its entirety (Acts 
26: 17, 18). "From darkness to light," "from power of 
Satan unto God," resulting in remission of sins and an 
eternal inheritance. 

II. This turning, again, implies an incentive, induce- 
ment or cause for such an act. A man's mind, his ideas, 
his opinions, are changed or turned by something more 
reasonable and attractive. Illustration : Evidence pre- 
sented to juror. Man has mind made up to do a certain 
thing, but turns or changes it when sufficient grounds 
are given for so doing. Sinner in darkness turns his 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 147 

direction when an inducement, cause or incentive is 
offered. Man on the broad road of sin turns to the nar- 
row way when given a reason. 

III. The reason for turning. The gospel, its prom- 
ises and blessings, its warnings and rewards (Rom. I : 
16), or its facts, conditions and promises presented to 
the man in sin, and he, in turn hearing, believing and 
obeying it, is caused to turn, as did the Corinthians 
(Acts 18:8). Also compare Rom. 10: 13-15; Rom. 10: 
17; John 3: 36 (American Revised). 

This in accord with the great commission which 
places man's salvation upon obedience to the terms of 
the gospel. 

This in accord with every recorded conversion in 
Acts of Apostles. 

Conclusion : The plan of conversion or turning: 

Its Cause: God — who loved. 

Its Occasion : man — who sinned. 

Its Agent: Christ — who suffered. 

Its Means: Holy Spirit — who inspired. 

Its Instrument : men — who preached. 

Its Benefactor: all who hear, believe and obey the 
gospel. C. N. Williams. 

Columbus, O. 



DISOBEDIENCE 

Why should the heart of man lead him to disobey his 
God? The question may be asked by ten thousand 
times ten thousand, yet no man can answer it for others 
or for himself. As I survey the book of God I find 
but one lesson taught over and over in each book of the 
Old Testament and again in the New. That lesson is 
the joy and blessing of obedience and the sorrow and 



148 TRAINING TO TEACH 

loss of disobedience. Whether it be the story of the 
Garden and our first parents, or Noah, or Moses and the 
children of Israel, or David, or whatever the scene, time 
or characters, there is one great theme through it all — 
obedience to the heavenly vision. 

A legalistic obedience is not suggested in the Bible, 
so why should we befog the whole thought by interject- 
ing a man-coined term? Obedience which is from a 
heart of love is the only obedience there is or can be. 
Anything else is not obedience, but disobedience. Christ 
puts the same message anew. The apostles preach it 
everywhere; the church is commanded to herald it to 
the uttermost parts of the world. 

Why should the heart of man incline him to disobey 
his Maker, his heavenly Father? Is there in all the 
records of the millions of men one clear example of 
disobedience having paid? Is there one clear record of 
disobedience having blessed? Is there one clear record 
of disobedience having proven anything else than a cheat 
and a delusion? Yet, when I contemplate obedience and 
its record of triumphant men, why should disobedience 
creep into my heart? 

Though I may not understand all reasons for all 
things, should I then refuse to obey? My Maker is 
surely greater than I. When I remember that I am but 
a passing shadow in this old earth which has seen its 
millions on millions of men come and pass, who am I 
to disobey my Maker? When I remember that small as 
I am and great as the earth is, yet it is but one, and one 
of the smallest, of the revolving spheres about our 
mighty sun ; when I remember that there are eighteen 
million suns, each larger than our own and each with its 
whirling spray of worlds, and that my Father made and 
rules them all — who am I to disobey my God? 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 149 

"When I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers, 
The moon and the stars which thou hast ordained; 
What is man that thou art mindful of him? 
Or the son of man that thou visitest him ?" 

God is love, truth is light. To obey is to walk in the 
light; to disobey is to choose to walk in the darkness in 
preference to the light. In the face of all those who 
have stumbled in the dark, why should I ever be tempted 
to disobey and walk in the darkness? 

To question one of my God's commands, to set my- 
self as judge and presume to choose which of his com- 
mands I should obey, can be nothing else than disobedi- 
ence. It can not be from out an obedient heart. 

O heavenly Father, help me to remember ever to 
obey thee. Help me to help the world to obey thee, for 
therein will God be pleased, the Son glorified and man's 
soul saved. C. J. Sharp. 



THE REMISSION OF SINS 

"Sin is a transgression of the law." "All have 
sinned and come short of the glory of God." "The soul 
that sinneth, it shall die." "Though your sins be as 
scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; though they be red 
like crimson, they shall be as wool." The only thing 
that can keep a man out of the kingdom of God is un- 
forgiven sin. "For God so loved the world, that he gave 
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him 
should not perish, but might have everlasting life." It 
is the will of God that not one should perish. The sins 
about which we are concerned are the ones which we 
commit, not the sins of Adam, for "as in Adam all die, 
so in Christ shall all be made alive." Because of Adam's 
transgression death will visit the entire race of men. 



150 TRAINING TO TEACH 

But in the second Adam — the Christ — we may receive 
forgiveness of sins committed and live forever, if we 
comply with the conditions upon which eternal life is 
promised. Nothing is plainer in the Scripture than the 
fact of sin and death. It is an individual matter, and 
men are responsible for their own thoughts and deeds. 
Christ said, "No man cometh unto the Father but by 
me." God has graciously given the Saviour that he 
might make it possible for sins to be forgiven, remitted, 
washed away, remembered no more against us forever. 
If sin is so terrible as to damn the souls of men when 
un forgiven, and if God sent Christ to be the Lamb to 
take away the sins of the world, then somewhere in the 
Scriptures the plan must be made so plain that all men 
can read it, understand it and comply with it. Some will 
sing that they are saved by the blood. It is true that 
without the shedding of blood there is no remission of 
sins, but the shedding of blood only makes it possible 
that sins may be forgiven ; but before forgiveness takes 
place, the sinner must appropriate the means of pardon. 
Without food the body will die; but the fact that there 
is food doesn't keep it alive unless the food be appro- 
priated and assimilated. Jesus in his life, death and 
resurrection simply built the way. In this the grace of 
God is manifest; but before that way can do the sinner 
any good, he must accept it and walk in it. "Not every 
one that saith, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom ; 
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in 
heaven." Jesus commissioned the apostles to go into all 
the world and preach the gospel to every creature. "He 
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; he that be- 
lieveth not shall be condemned." In the second chapter 
of Acts we behold these apostles preaching the gospel 
of Christ, setting forth terms of pardon on the day in 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 151 

which the door of the church was opened. Sinners, 
transgressors of the law, heard the message and were 
led to believe in the divinity of Jesus, his Kingship and 
Lordship. Realizing that sin was upon them, they 
yearned for pardon and asked what to do. The reply 
came from the man to whom the keys had been given, 
and he said to those who had already believed: "Re- 
pent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of 
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall 
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." These words are 
spoken in the dispensation in w r hich we live. This was 
the plan then; it is the plan of God now. If sins were 
forgiven by compliance with his plan then, sins will be 
forgiven in the same way now. The plan is unchanging. 
By taking these steps not only are sins forgiven, but 
one becomes a child of God, and thereafter, when he 
transgresses, being a member of the family and a son 
of God, petitions the Father for forgiveness through 
Jesus Christ, his great High Priest and Brother. For to 
the child of God the promise is, "Ask, and it shall be 
given you." P. H. Welshimer. 



MERCY, OR THE DESIRE OF GOD 

"I desire mercy, and not sacrifice." — Matt. 9: 13. 

Introduction. — Jesus had made a disciple of Mat- 
thew the tax-gatherer. He went to dinner in his home. 
Among those who dined with him were many publicans 
and sinners. The Pharisees objected. When their ob- 
jection was made known to Jesus, he made a character- 
istic reply. "The whole need not a physician, but they 
that are sick." Then he quoted the prophet Hosea: "I 
desire mercy, and not sacrifice." "Learn what that 
means before you come criticizing me. I am not here 

(6) 



152 TRAINING TO TEACH 

for your pleasure, but for the relief of these sick souls. 
I am come to call sinners, and not the righteous." Let 
us also learn what it means. 
I. What mercy means. 

1. Goodness. The Hebrew was rich in religious 
terms where the English is poor. The Revised Version 
translates Hos. 6:6: "I desire goodness." But the 
Septuagint, which Jesus used, said "mercy." Good- 
ness is part of the content of the Hebrew term. Sound- 
ness and genuineness of life buttress all true mercy. No 
sentimental thing. Mercifulness is not weakness. 

2. Compassion. Contrast Jesus' attitude toward the 
sinner with that of the Pharisee. Theirs one of con- 
tempt. Publican, harlot, Samaritan woman — all came 
under their ban. Their touch was contamination. Pity 
and compassion not to be entertained. Jesus regarded 
them as sick and needing a physician. He had no harsh 
words or censure for any but hypocrites and stubborn 
of heart. We approve his attitude. Is it ours? Or do 
we, like the Pharisees, hold ourselves above and away 
from the sinner? 

3. Lovingkindness. Again and again the Revised 
Version substitutes lovingkindness for the old word 
"mercy." Jesus' ministry was one of kindness — kindness 
made to glow with love. Pharisees misinterpreted. 
They always will. They are enamored of forms. They 
are content with possessing the patterns, the molds. 
They fail to pour through them the stream of deeds. 
"To obey is better than the fat of rams." But we do not 
fully know what mercy means till we know what it does. 

II. What does mercy do? Why does God desire 
mercy ? 

I. Because it saves. Look at Matthew, how he 
justified Jesus' program of mercy. Phariseeism would 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 153 

not have saved in a thousand years. But mercy made 
an apostle of him, and an evangelist. Look at Mary 
Magdalene, possessed of devils. Jesus made a saint of 
her through mercy. Phariseeism would never have 
reached her. Look at the harlots, the Samaritan woman, 
the outcasts of a Pharisaic society. Mercy saved them. 
Phariseeism would have driven further down. We have 
been Pharisees in our treatment of the down and out 
long enough. Mercy saves. It may be stern because it 
is good. But witness success of missions, of Salvation 
Army, of new methods of dealing with criminals. 

2. Obtains mercy. "Blessed are the merciful : for 
they shall obtain mercy." The parable of the unmerciful 
servant. 

Conclusion : Jesus' mercy climaxed in the cross. By 
his great mercy we are saved. Let us therefore, as 
God's elect, put on bowels of mercy. Not until we do, 
will our message be a gospel. S. G. Fisher. 

Minneapolis, Minn. 



THE HOLY SPIRIT 

Alexander Campbell said regarding the Trinity, "I 
can apprehend that, but I can not comprehend it." The 
finite can not contain the Infinite. 

Isaac Errett wrote : "There is no need to pray that 
the Spirit may be poured out from heaven, but that we 
may be prepared to receive the Spirit, who is ever 
present in the church, the body of Christ. The Spirit 
came after Jesus went away, and will remain until the 
close of this dispensation and the coming of Christ." 

The world has had many theories regarding the Holy 
Spirit. It has been represented as "It" — something en- 
tirely unscriptural. Christ said: "When he, the Spirit 



154 TRAINING TO TEACH 

of truth, is come, he shall guide you [the apostles] into 
all truth." 

The Holy Spirit, then, is a person. "He shall guide/' 
Christ declared, speaking of the Holy Spirit, "whom the 
world cannot receive." The man of the world must 
change his relation through faith, which comes by hear- 
ing the word of God (Rom. 10: 17). He must purify 
his heart; he thus becomes fit for the reception of the 
Spirit. 

Paul declared :» "And because ye are sons, God hath 
sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, 
Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:6). We do not receive the Spirit 
to make us sons ; we do receive him because we are 
sons. 

The Holy Spirit led the apostles into all truth. Be- 
fore him no man ever successfully stood to gainsay or 
to contradict, because they were Spirit-filled and Spirit- 
led. For any to claim this to-day would be to claim 
equality with the ambassadors of the Christ. Confusion 
on this point has led to the erroneous positions taken by 
many regarding the healing of the sick, and the claim 
that "if we had faith enough, we could do just what 
the apostles did." There is a world of difference between 
faith and miracle-working power. 

The Holy Spirit is our Comforter. "He [the Father] 
shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide 
with you for ever" (John 14: 16). We may enjoy his 
presence here as we walk in the light, love and liberty 
of children of God. The consolation of the Christian 
world comes through this Comforter, sent in answer to 
Christ's prayer. 

The Holy Spirit, through the Word which liveth and 
abideth forever, is to-day reproving the world of sin, 
righteousness and judgment: of sin, because they believe 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 155 

not in me (Christ) ; of righteousness, because I go to 
my Father; of judgment, because the prince of this 
world is judged (John 15:9-11). 

Tullahoma, Tenn. A. M. Growden. 



PURE IN HEART 

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see 
God." 

I. Purity in heart means purity in thought, for "as 
a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Impure thoughts 
separate from God, for in him is no sin or uncleanness. 
Pure thoughts draw us toward God, for he comprehends 
all holiness. He is the "holy One of Israel." 

II. Purity in heart also implies an affection for the 
pure and holy. One may think upon the holiness of God 
with fear and unwillingness. God's righteousness may 
fascinate him with such compelling power that he can 
not turn his mind from it; and yet it may be to him a 
source of torment. But the Beatitude is not for such a 
man. It is for the one who thinks upon whatsoever 
things are pure or lovely or of good report, because his 
heart yearns for these things — for one who thinks upon 
them with intention to possess them. 

III. Purity in heart is rewarded with visions of God. 
Jesus' own life exemplifies this truth. Wherever he 
turned his eyes he saw God. If a gardener planted mus- 
tard seed, or a woman baked bread, or a farmer sowed 
wheat, or a fisher cast a net, Jesus saw God in the act — 
God working in his kingdom. If a bird flew to the 
ground in search of food, Jesus beheld God feeding it ; 
and if a lily raised its head, Jesus saw the fingers of the 
Invisible robing it in garments of beauty and leaving the 
odor of his royal hand lingering about it. Ah, whai 



156 TRAINING TO TEACH 

blessedness to thus see God about us everywhere! Who 
could be lonely with such a fellowship? 

IV. But he who sees God day by day shall also see 
him face to face in that unending day. He who walks 
with God in the brief period of time shall, Enoch-like, 
continue in that fellowship through all eternity. Surely 
a pure heart is to be desired, but only the presence of 
God can give us such a heart. It will be hard indeed if 
we first try to purify our hearts that we may see God. 
The easier way is to lift up the eyes and behold the Lord 
at work about us, and as the sight of him breaks upon 
the darkness and uncleanness of our lives it will purify 
our heart and also give us clearer vision. Israel did 
not seek to first be rid of the serpent poison and then 
look upon the brazen symbol of Christ ; on the contrary, 
it gazed upon the symbol, and the sight of it eradicated 
the poison and gave purity and health to the blood. If 
we seek to see God, we shall find him, and the vision of 
him will purify us, so that we can see him better. 

P. Y. Pendleton. 



IMMORTALITY 

An immortal state is an incorruptible state. Immor- 
tality means deathlessness, as appears from I Cor. 15: 
53, 54, and 1 Tim. 6 : 10. Immortality means incorrup- 
tion, as appears from Rom. 2.J and 2 Tim. 1:10. 
Early philosophers taught that death was an escape from 
the calamities of life. Christ taught that he was both 
the resurrection and the life, that through him we should 
live in endless delight, in a clime that knew no sin; 
hence, it could not be invaded by death. Sin is the 
enemy of happiness and life. Christ came to destroy 
the power of death. He had power to lay down his life 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 157 

and power to take it up again. The empty grave rs 
proof positive of a beyond, a happy beyond, the home of 
the soul, the place of many mansions. Christ declared, 
"Because I live, ye shall live also." In his death and 
glorious resurrection he demonstrated the fact of immor- 
tality. He brought immortality to light, and, through 
that fact, he enlightened every follower and believer in 
him as the Captain of their salvation. A salvation with- 
out immortality would be a foolish contradiction. The 
very fact that Jesus saves men from their sins is a prior 
proof that he will conduct them to final eternal glory. 

Christ, the Sun of righteousness, alone enlightens the 
world on the question of immortality. Man is God's 
offspring, as Paul stated to the Athenians (Acts 17), 
hence, like God, he lives in the world to come, for God 
is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 

In creation, man physically was perfect, and then God 
breathed into him the breath of life; he then became a 
living soul (Gen. 2:7). The entrance of sin obscured 
man's vision, as it destroyed his life. Both of these 
Christ came to restore. 

On a steamer in the southern Pacific, I heard the 
mate say, "To-morrow we'll see Tahiti." Artists had 
painted it, writers had described it, but we were going 
to see it. Our beautiful vessel moved slowly that last 
night. I was up early. A gray fog covered all. Ere- 
long the sun shone in, and what a glorious picture was 
before us! A towering peak, a background of many 
gorgeous colors, and a thousand birds sang our welcome. 
Words were inadequate, and in silence we gazed. So the 
light of revelation shows a new heaven and a new earth, 
wherein dwelleth righteousness — the soul's home. No 
painter has been able to perfectly represent the glories 
of that home. When the fog of death lifts, we shall see 



158 TRAINING TO TEACH 

the King in his beauty and the land of pure delight. 

"We speak of the realms of the blest, 
That country so bright and so fair; 
And oft are its glories confessed, 
But what must it be to be there ?" 

Tullahoma, Tenn. A. M. Growden. 



THE LORD'S SUPPER— A COM- 
MUNION 

As I draw near to the Lord's table let me ever re- 
member that it is to meet a solemn appointment with my 
Master, who said when he instituted the feast: "I will 
not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that 
day when I drink it new with you in my Father's king- 
dom." In these words Jesus promised to meet his dis- 
ciples after the church was established, and to partake 
with them of the cup of blessing in a new way, a spiritual 
way. So when the disciples met around the sacred 
board after the Master's ascension, they believed that 
he was there in spirit, communing with them. The 
promise is for us to-day. And every time we sit at this 
holy feast it is to have fellowship with our crucified and 
our glorified Lord. If we would think of this sublime 
fact when we come together, we should realize that the 
Lord's table is no place for thoughtlessness or frivolity. 
In the East, eating together meant the giving and the 
receiving of a pledge. So, when we eat the bread and 
drink the cup it is a pledge from Christ that all he has 
promised shall be fulfilled, that he will guide us, and 
protect us, and save us eternally ; from us, it is a pledge 
to him that we will be true, that we will do his will, that 
we will seek his honor and be his friends. I can under- 
stand how one who does not want to recognize his obliga- 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 159 

tion to his Saviour would stay away from this feast ; 
but I can not think how one who loves Christ and who 
wants to do his will can permit his place to be vacant at 
this holy feast. 

Then, it is a commuinon with one another. Paul 
says : "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the 
communion of the blood of Christ; the bread which we 
break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" 
This means that we here meet to share in common the 
blessings of our Saviour's dying love. Here we are 
brethren. Social distinctions may belong outside, but in 
the Lord's house, at the Lord's table, the rich and the 
poor meet together — the Lord is the Maker of them all. 
Here I pledge myself in the bread and the wine to sym- 
pathize with my brethren, in their affliction, to help them 
bear their burdens, to relieve them in their distresses, to 
be kind, tenderhearted, forbearing and forgiving one an- 
other, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us. If 
the meaning of this divine ordinance were fully under- 
stood by the followers of Christ, what a transformation 
would be wrought in their lives ! Mark Collis. 

Lexington, Ky. 

FORBEARANCE 

"The forbearance of God!" Thank God for his for- 
bearance. Our sins were passed over "in the forbear- 
ance of God." It is a wonderful display of the grace of 
God, of the goodness of God, that he has forborne till 
we have had full opportunity to accept the gift of life. 

If I am to be like him, I, too, must forbear. Some- 
times it seems that we glory in our lack of forbearance. 
"He can't do that to me," we cry. And, instead of suf- 
fering patiently, we lift our fists against our brother who 
wrongs us. 



160 TRAINING TO TEACH 

Yet, how necessary is forbearance. Life would be 
a constant quarrel if men did not forbear with each 
other. "Use every man according to his deserts, and 
who shall escape a whipping?" asks Shakespeare. And, 
indeed, who of us goes very long without doing the thing 
which is either insult or injury? Should all our neigh- 
bors resent and seek reparation for all our misdeeds 
towards them, I fear we should suffer mightily. 

Then, he who fails to forbear makes himself miser- 
able. Just as we can not escape giving offence, either 
wittingly or unwittingly, so neither can our friends. I 
have seen these impatient folk; those who went about, 
as we boys used to say, with a chip on the shoulder. 
And I have never envied them. They were in process 
of losing all their friendships,, and they certainly could 
hope to make no others. 

On the other hand, he who forbears, binds his friends 
to him. All sensible folk crave the indulgence of their 
friends. And when they receive it, their hearts are made 
very tender. "He didn't say a word ; he's a brick," is the 
way the schoolboy phrased it. 

In the most sacred of associations, the home, this 
virtue of forbearance is at once most necessary and most 
valuable in cementing the ties that bind. Cowper says: 
"The kindest and happiest pair will find occasion to for- 
bear; find something every day they live to pity, and, 
perhaps, to forgive." And how many homes do we not 
know made anything but happy by the impatience of one 
with the faults of the other. 

Perhaps if we understood more, we should forbear 
more. If we knew all the influences of the past reaching 
their dead hands down into the present life to grip with 
disheartening strength the life and soul of our friend or 
loved one; if we knew what weaknesses are struggled 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 161 

against daily; if we just understood more — we would 
forbear. 

And, surely, if we loved more, we could forbear: "In 
love, forbearing one another." "Love suffereth long and 
is kind." Not to forbear is to sin against love. God 
bears with us because he can afford to. Because we are 
too insignificant to notice ? No, no. Because he loves us. 

Minneapolis, Minn. S. G. Fisher. 



baptism 

In the book called Acts of the Apostles baptism is 
always connected with conversion. It should have the 
earnest and prayerful consideration of every one de- 
siring to be a Christian now. The terms of salvation 
as given by Christ and his apostles can not be changed. 
Whatever the Word says, we should do without ques- 
tion. "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." Jesus 
was baptized by John in the river Jordan. When he 
came up out of the water the Father spoke words of 
commendation. "This is my beloved Son, in whom I 
am well pleased." Jesus was baptized but once, hence 
but one way. There are not three ways of baptism. 
His way is described in his word, and every soul is 
under obligation to read for himself. Jesus commanded 
baptism. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the 
gospel to every creature ; he that believeth and is bap- 
tized shall be saved." On the day of Pentecost the three 
thousand were baptized. The Samaritans, the jailer, the 
Corinthians, Lydia, Paul and many others were baptized. 
The word "baptize" means "dip or immerse," as all 
scholars and lexicons agree. John Calvin said: "The 
word 'baptize' signifies 'to immerse.' It is certain immer- 
sion was the practice of the primitive church." So speak 



162 TRAINING TO TEACH 

Wesley, Luther and all other scholars and leaders. The 
change to pouring and sprinkling was made by the Ro- 
man Church, which arrogantly claims power and right 
to change even the commandments of our Lord. Jesus 
alone has all authority, and what he commands we must 
do. John was baptizing at iEnon "because there was 
much water there" (John 3: 23). Philip and the eunuch 
"went down into the water" and "came up out of the 
water" (Acts 8:39). Paul speaks of baptism as "a 
burial," "a planting," "a resurrection" (Rom. 6: 1-5). 
We know what "a burial" is and what is meant by "a 
planting." To bury or plant is to cover up. Baptism, 
Paul says, symbolizes the burial and resurrection of 
Christ. To change it destroys its meaning and it be- 
comes a meaningless form without value. The whole 
religious world says that immersion is baptism. So, to 
obey Jesus is to live afterward without any doubt on this 
question. Be on the safe side and then teach others. 
He who ridicules baptism is casting reproach upon the 
Son of God. Where the soul is involved we must be 
sure. His Word is your guide. Follow that Word. 
There is no other way but his way. "There is one Lord, 
one faith, one baptism" (Eph. 4:5). 

Los Angeles, Cal. Russell Thrapp. 



OBEDIENCE 

(1 Sam. 15 : 22.) 

Obedience means willing submission to authority. 
When the authority in wise and benevolent, obedience 
results in the well-being of those who obey and of others 
also ; this is seen in the obedience of the child to the 
parent, of the citizen to the state. In a higher sense, our 
welfare depends upon obedience to God. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 163 

1. God's laws are founded on infinite wisdom and 
goodness. They are established for the good of his 
creatures. In this he is glorified. God is not like the 
Dey of Algiers or the Sultan of Turkey, who thinks he 
is honored by the abject submission of his subjects. God 
requires us to obey because he wants us to be happy. 

i. Physical laws are the expression of God's will 
concerning material things ; concerning the body, obedi- 
ence to them means health, happiness and efficiency. 
Disobedience to them, no matter how good and pious I 
may be in other respects, means suffering and the im- 
pairing of my body for service. 

2. Social laws are the expression of God's will con- 
cerning man in relation to his fellow-men. Obedience to 
them means respect for rights of others, justice, sym- 
pathy, helpfulness — all that cultivates goodwill, friend- 
ship, progress in the human race. 

3. Spiritual laws have to do chiefly with our spiritual 
needs. Indirectly, however, they bring many physical 
and social blessings, for "godliness has the promise 
of the life that now is as well as of that which is to 
come." 

II. God's dealings with the Israelites illustrate these 
principles. He said, "Hear, O Israel, what doth the 
Lord require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God and 
keep his statutes, which I command thee this day for 
thy good?" Every requirement in the Jewish system 
was ordained for the good of the people; this is easily 
seen if one studies the laws relating to the tabernacle 
worship, the tithe system, the Sabbath as a day of rest, 
the feasts and the fasts, their social duties, etc. If those 
commands had been obeyed, the laws would have devel- 
oped their spiritual natures and they would have been a 
happy and contented people. Obedience was for their 



164 TRAINING TO TEACH 

good ; disobedience meant their spiritual, their social and 
their physical undoing. 

God enforced the importance of obedience most im- 
pressively — by the stoning of the man for picking up 
sticks on the Sabbath day; by the consuming of Nadab 
and Abihu for using strange fire in their censers ; by the 
rejection of Saul after his return with the spoils of the 
Amalekites; by the slaying of Uzzah when he reached 
forth his hand to stay the tottering ark. But in every 
case where disobedience and transgression received a just 
recompense of reward, it was to teach the Jews that it 
was only in obeying God that they could enjoy the bless- 
ings of God. Disobedience always thwarted his purposes 
concerning them. 

III. The Christian religion is a more spiritual religion 
than the Jewish, and consequently calls for a higher 
order of obedience. It enjoins faith, because man needs 
the guiding hand of infinite Love and Wisdom to lead 
him out of the maze of sin ; repentance, because he can't 
be saved from sin unless he resolves to turn from it; 
confession, because every true man must let the people 
know what side he is on; love, because nothing destroys 
the beauty of the human soul like hate, and nothing can 
restore that beauty but love's prayer, for that is the 
opening of the heart to God, and without God within the 
soul can not be transformed ; baptism, for that marks 
the transition point from the old life to the new. It is 
the burial of the old man, and is followed by the resur- 
rection into the new life. • 

What is obedience to these commands but the soul's 
seeking that which is for its highest good ? The appetite 
obeys its call for food ; the eye, for light ; the lungs, for 
air. If I do not obey the call for food, I will starve; 
for light, I will become blind; for air, I will suffocate. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 165 

We talk about God punishing disobedience. Remember 
this: disobedience is the soul's deliberate act of cutting 
itself off from the blessings which God has designed 
for it. 

In the church we have the divine ordinances, the in- 
fluences of the Holy Spirit, the communion of the saints, 
the ministry of the Word. Look at the unfolding 
flowers, the stately trees, the waving grass, the silvery 
stream, the ever-changing sky, and the heavenly bodies 
moving so beautifully and so regularly in the firmament. 
Why? Because they all obey the will of their great 
Creator. In the same way let us yield ourselves in loving 
and loyal obedience to God's will, and our lives will be 
full of satisfaction ; our growth and development will be 
along lines of usefulness, and the end will be everlasting 
happiness. 

Conclusion: This principle puts the deciding of one's 
destiny in his own hands. God has given us certain 
physical, social and spiritual laws for our guidance. 
Then he has said, "Now, work out your own salvation, 
your own happiness." This we do by obedience. If we 
refuse to obey, the responsibility of our undoing rests 
upon our own heads. "To them who by faithful contin- 
uance in well-doing seek for glory, honor and immor- 
tality, there shall be eternal life: but to those who are 
contentious and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteous- 
ness, there shall be tribulation and anguish." "Blessed 
are they who do his commandments, that they may have 
a right to the tree of life." Why a right? Because they 
have prepared for it by sowing to the Spirit. 

Lexington, Ky. Mark Collis. 



166 TRAINING TO TEACH 

HOPE 

"For we are saved by hope." — Paul. 
Victor Hugo has a beautiful stanza which we would 
do well to remember: 

"Let us be like a bird a moment lighted 

Upon a bough that swings; 
He feels it sway, yet sings on unaffrighted, 
Knowing he hath his wings." 

The Bible is a book of hope. The Christian religion 
is a religion of hopefulness. Other religions have no 
hope. Sir Henry Maine, who from long residence in 
the East is qualified to speak, says that "hopelessness of 
other faiths is the most pitiful element in them." 

The Stoic is the noblest man outside of Christianity. 
If I couldn't be a Christian, I'd be a Stoic. If I couldn't 
live at Jerusalem, I'd live at Sparta. He faces life 
bravely. He will not let his lips tremble. 

It would seem that every human being has a hope of 
some kind with reference to the future. The moralist 
finds it in his self -righteousness, the Universalist in the 
goodness of God, the infidel in his unbelief; the atheist 
trusts that there is no hereafter ; Socrates said to "ground 
hope on a false supposition is like trusting a weak 
anchor." 

Hope keeps the soul calm and secure in the day of 
adversity. Hope does not remove trouble, it sustains 
the soul in trouble. The anchor does not dispel the 
storm, it does not quiet the roaring waves, arrest the 
rolling thunder, nor bid the winds be still, but it enables 
the vessel to ride out the fury, the gale, and keeps her 
from being driven on the rocks of death. 

David Hume called hope "the real riches." The 
Latin word spcro, "I hope," is akin to spiro, "I 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 167 

breathe." We have the suggestion in the very etymology 
of the word that hope is the breath of the soul. It is 
the blessing and privilege of the Christian. This is 
evident because the word is not found in Matthew's work 
or John's. Only three times in Luke's Gospel, a few 
times only in Acts, but fifty-three times in the letters 
to the Christians. 

The Christian's hope is an expectation of all neces- 
sary good — both for time and eternity — founded on the 
promises, relations and perfections of God. It is com- 
posed of desire, expectation, patience and joy. It may 
be considered as pure as it is resident in a heart free 
from sin. "He that hath this hope is pure even as." It 
is called lively, courageous, sure and joyful. 

Hope is one of the greatest blessings ever granted to 
man, even as far as the present world is concerned. 

"Hope is the first great blessing here below, 
The only balm to heal corroding woe ; 
It is the staff of age, the sick man's breath, 
The prisoner's freedom and the poor man's wealth; 
The sailor's safety, tossing as one's breath, 
It still holds on, nor quits us e'en in death." 

Hope is our best companion. It leads us, as it were, 
through the difficulties and dangers, and it may justly 
be said that it is 

"The cordial drop Heaven in our own life has thrown 
To make the nauseous draught stay down." 

It is God's way of keeping before his children a land 
of promise, something better than anything he has given. 
After one of Alexander the Great's victories, he divided 
among the soldiers the spoils of battle, but kept nothing 
for himself. His General Parmenio asked, "What have 
you saved for yourself?" Alexander replies, "Hope," 



168 TRAINING TO TEACH 

wherefore Parmenio knew that he cared nothing for the 
spoils of battle, but would share with him the hope of 
the future. 

"For we are saved by hope/' Grant W. Spebr. 

Toledo, O. 



THE GOSPEL 

The word "gospel" means "glad tidings" or "good 
news." This "good news" tells how Christ died for our 
sins according to the Scriptures. It tells how he left 
his home in heaven and all its glory, and came to this 
earth with all of its shame, and suffered and died that 
through his sorrow and suffering the darkness of our 
death should ripen into joy. There was a time when no 
veil intervened between God and man, when God spoke 
face to face with man as we would speak to our most 
confidential friend, when all was joy and happiness in 
Eden's holy bowers. But sin destroyed this happy fel- 
lowship and man became a homeless wanderer, while 
death spread its iron sway over a conquered world. God 
foresaw the end from the beginning. He realized that 
man would surrender his privileges in both the terrestrial 
and celestial paradises, and therefore his redemptive 
scheme was a part of his plan long before his voice 
broke the silence of eternity. This remained a secret, 
however, in the mind of the infinite One until after the 
conception and development of sin. Then Jehovah 
uttered those mysterious and sublime words, saying, 
"The seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the 
serpent," but at the same time had whispered that the 
serpent would bruise his heel. This was the first index 
of mercy which pointed like a finger of light toward the 
grand scene of human redemption. Again, Jehovah de- 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 169 

clared that the Messiah would triumph over all, and that 
his triumph would be a victory for the millions who had 
gone before his resurrection as well as for the millions 
that would follow. In the fullness of time this prophecy 
was fulfilled. A child was born of the seed of woman, 
of the race of Shem, of the descendants of Abraham, 
of the tribe of Judah and of the lineage of David. A 
prophet, but greater than Moses, because he has given 
us a law that shall never pass away. As John the 
Baptist, who had been sent out into the wilderness to 
prepare his introduction before men, looked upon him, 
he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who taketh away 
the sin of the world." Again he said, "He must increase, 
but I must decrease." 

The apostle says, "The Word was made flesh, and 
dwelt among us." Yes, he dwelt among us that mortal 
men might behold his glory, the glory of the only be- 
gotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The 
marriage of Deity and humanity is the stupendous fact 
that underlies the grand scheme of human redemption. 
By virtue of his incarnation he became the solution of 
the most profound problems of life and destiny, the 
foundation where our parched souls may quench their 
thirst and the great spiritual banquet where we may 
feast our souls to hunger no more forever. In hunger 
and in thirst, in toil and in suffering, He identifies him- 
self with the children of sin and sorrow, and spends his 
life in proclaiming liberty to the captives, in binding up 
the broken hearts, in giving "beauty for ashes, the oil 
of joy for mourning, and the garments of praise for the 
spirit of heaviness." 

As a descendant of Abraham, Jesus was a man — a 
man in the truest sense of the word, a man who earned 
his bread by the sweat of his brow. Here our twofold 



170 TRAINING TO TEACH 

nature is met and satisfied in its deepest longings by 
a sympathizing God — God with us the hope of glory. 
A mortal, immortal. A man on earth who will soon 
die. A man who will live forever is too spiritual to be 
satisfied with a friendship that pertains to this life alone. 
Through the atonement in His death salvation from sin 
is made possible, that by his love for us and our love 
for him we are led to renounce a sinful, selfish life and 
make his incarnate perfection the supreme choice of the 
human soul. For man he drank the cup of sorrow to 
its very dregs, and therefore knows how to sympathize 
with us when we pass through the deep waters. In 
him sinful man saw no beauty, but God said he is alto- 
gether lovely. 

This is the "good news" which we call "the gospel. " 
It will brighten affliction's gloomy countenance and 
weave for sorrow a garment of good cheer. May we 
freely bathe in its holy teaching, that our spirits may 
come from its fountain of living water and we be num- 
bered with those whose names are written in the Lamb's 
book of life. L. O. Newcomer. 

Findlay, O. 



KNOWLEDGE 

"We know in part." — I Cor. 13 : 12. 

I. Introduction. — The term "science," from scire > 
signifies "to know." It applies only to visible things. 
How little we know even of these. Socrates said, "The 
summit of wisdom is to beware of our ignorance." John 
Owen put it thus: "Once all things I thought I knew, 
but now confess the more I know, I know the less." 

II. Knowledge and man. 

1. Knowledge has ever been man's highest ambition. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 171 

Our earliest parents were students. To partake of the 
"tree of knowledge" they forfeited paradise. Not to 
have pleasure, not to gratify any passion. "Ye shall 
know," said the tempter. 

2. Why do we want to know? If only to know, it is 
curiosity. If to be known, it is vanity. If we may 
edify, it is charity. If to further our own interests, it is 
selfishness. If to be edified, it is wisdom. For sake of 
others, more unselfish and useful. 

III. Knowledge and the unsaved man. Three things 
to know: 

1. Know God. This the first knowledge in man's 
journey to the highest and best. The man who in the 
struggle of life can hear the voice, "I am the Lord thy 
God," is beginning to live as it is written. "This is life 
eternal, to know God." 

2. Know the law. Our consciousness of law is ex- 
pressed in our sense of duty. Duty is that which is due. 
Due whom? 

(i) Ourselves — self-culture. 

(2) Our fellows. 

(3) Our God. 

"Fear God and keep his commandments. This is the 
whole duty of man." 

3. Know the gospel. "By the law is knowledge of 
sin." The law thus becomes our schoolmaster to lead 
us to Christ. "His blood cleanseth from all sin." "Know 
ye not ye were baptized into his death?" 

IV. Knowledge and the saved man. 

1. To faith add knowledge. The word translated 
"add" has been. Anglicized. It is our word "chorus." 

(1) Chorus your faith. The grace of faith leads in 
the grand song of life. Its music is sublime and tri- 
umphant. 



172 TRAINING TO TEACH 

(2) Compel it not to sing alone. Chorus it with 
courage. Chorus it with self-mastery. Chorus it with 
knowledge. 

2. The responsibility of knowledge. "To know to do 
good, and do it not, is a sin," said James. We should 
act on what we know. This is the surest way of know- 
ing more (John 7: 17). Our practice lags behind our 
profession. Conscience is ahead of conduct. Knowing 
is ahead of doing. Remarkable that, notwithstanding 
this condition, we are bent on increasing our knowledge 
rather than on improving our conduct. It is important 
to know, but the Scriptures contemplate no discrepancy 
between knowledge and practice. Knowledge increases 
responsibility. "He that knew his Lord's will and did 
it not shall be beaten with many stripes." 

3. Nevertheless, commanded to grow in knowledge. 
Mastering our A B C's, we push on through the succes- 
sive grades. The college — the university (Heb. 5:12- 
14; 6: 1-4). 

( 1 ) Our knowledge is incomplete. Say at last with 
Paul, "Great is the mystery of godliness." The Lord 
has said, "I have many things to say unto you, but you 
can not bear them now." "Know in part." 

(2) The postgraduate course. Hear Christ, "At 
that day ye shall know that ;" or, "What I do thou know- 
est not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." Here 
knowledge is imperfect. There and then "we shall know 
even as we are known." Our adjournment is "sine die" 
(without a day appointed), but to meet, for further op- 
portunities to know, at the call of the Master. 

Three things we know: Know "we are sons of God ;" 
know "not what we shall be ;" know "when he shall ap- 
pear, we shall be like him." Grant W. Speer. 

Toledo, O. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 173 

THE CHURCH 

John the Baptist came preaching the coming of the 
kingdom of God. Jesus Christ came to establish the 
kingdom. The kingdom means the reign of Christ 
within the hearts of men, the ultimate home of the soul 
and the church. The mission of the church is to pre- 
pare the hearts for Christ's indwelling and to prepare 
the soul for its heavenly habitation. The church is not 
an insurance company, although it teaches man the law 
of provision for the days to come. The church is not 
a Young Men's or Young Women's Christian Associa- 
tion, but it places the stamp of approval upon every in- 
stitution whose mission is to develop true manhood and 
womanhood. Neither is it a social club, although it rec- 
ognizes the social instinct of man and makes provision 
for his legitimate pleasure. The church is the earthly 
representative of Jesus Christ; a divine institution with 
a divine mission, the carrying out to its conclusion the 
work which Christ, its Head and Founder, came to ac- 
complish — the world's redemption. The church has been 
spoken of as the feet of the Lord to carry his gospel to 
the ends of the world, the hands of the Lord to minister 
in his holy name, the mouth of the Lord to disclose the 
unsearchable riches of his love, the handmaiden of the 
Lord to go at his bidding. 

The church is not a spiritual railroad with only one 
stop — Zion ; neither is it a spiritual Keeley cure. The 
church is a spiritual army following the banner of the 
cross for the redemption of the race and the overthrow 
of the devil. The mission and ideals of the church are 
the mission and ideals of its Head — Jesus. The word 
for church (ecdesia) means "called out" or "separated," 
as when you call some one from the inside of a building 



174 TRAINING TO TEACH 

or call him aside from a group with whom he has been 
standing on the street. It is like the river, in the world, 
but not of the world. As the river has a mission for 
the earth, through which it passes, of transportation, irri- 
gation, commerce and supply; so the church, while not 
of the world, but being in the world, has a mission for 
the world of leading to Christ and building up in Christ. 
The church, to be ideal, must be organized on the ideal 
plan and committed to the accomplishment of his ideal 
work. Christ's ideal for his church was a united church ; 
therefore any other condition is wrong. To be absolutely 
impregnable, it must rest upon the ideal foundation, the 
Lord himself. As all authority is Christ's and it is his 
church, it should bear no name but his. As its Founder, 
himself formulated the terms of admittance — faith, re- 
pentance, confession, baptism; no other laws should be 
countenanced. As it rests upon a divine personality, the 
creed must be a divine person — the Christ. Whatsoever 
ordinances the Lord inaugurated, and these only, should 
be loyally observed — baptism and the Lord's Supper. 
The work to be done by and through the church must be 
the work he came to do. This may be known from what 
he said and what he did. His life is the church's ideal 
of service, ministering to the needs of mankind. It is 
a practical, present, every-day service to the every-day 
needs of life. The Golden Rule of his great sermon was 
the golden text of his own life and the ideal standard 
for the church. His death is the church's ideal of sac- 
rifice, to take up the cross daily and carry it until the 
last man, looking up, may be saved. Fellowship in the 
church means fellowship with Christ. To slight his 
church is to dishonor him. To honor him you must 
honor his church. Steadfastness in the apostles' doc- 
trine, in fellowship, in his worship, in the breaking of 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 175 

bread in his honor, in the offering of prayer in his name, 
is necessary for loyalty here and reward hereafter. The 
lives of the individual members must be good, clean ; 
self must be lost in the general good ; each must bear his 
share of the financial burden, and all must be workers 
to succeed. The church must grow with the growth of 
the race, and while we go back to the first century for 
its ideals, those ideals must be big enough to meet the 
twentieth-century demands of the twentieth-century life. 
Washington, Pa. Walter Mansell. 



ETERNAL LIFE 

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God 
is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 
6:23). "And this is life eternal, that they might know 
thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou 
hast sent" (John 17: 3). "Fight the good fight of faith, 
lay hold on eternal life" (1 Tim. 6: 12). You will ob- 
serve that, while eternal life is a gift of God, it is con- 
tingent upon (1) a knowledge of the Giver and his sons 
and (2) an active, energetic life in harmony with that 
of knowledge. There are four prerequisites to eternal 
life — a four-square foundation, without which it is im- 
possible to erect or construct a character capable of ap- 
propriating this wonderful gift of God — law which leads 
to light, light which leads to love, love which leads to 
liberty, and liberty which leads to life. God said, "Let 
there be light," and the king of day sends forth his 
beaming rays. As in nature, so in grace, God's word 
became flesh; in him was life, and the life was the light 
of men. The Father gave "him power over all flesh, 
that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast 
given him." Observe these three gifts just mentioned. 



176 TRAINING TO TEACH 

They comprise everything. God gives Christ a people. 
Over that people, when he had died for them, God gives 
Christ authority, power and rule. And Christ, using 
the power, gives to them eternal life. Through Christ 
we are bound back or remarried to God by the love of 
the Father manifested in his Son. To know God is to 
be in communion and correspondence with him through 
Christ, not simply intellectually or abstractly, but per- 
sonally. God, the great President of the Bank of 
Heaven, will not honor the check for eternal life for 
any one who will not honor his Son by laying up treas- 
ures on high. Our life here is in proportion to our 
observation, knowledge and experience. Those who put 
most into life get most out of it. Life consisteth not in 
the abundance of the things which we possess. The 
crown of life is at the end of the race, awaiting those 
who are faithful to the end. To know is to see and 
hear. "Look to Jesus now and live." "Hear ye him." 
To see and hear him is to know the Father. To know 
God is to love him. To love him is to keep his com- 
mandments. "Blessed are they who do his command- 
ments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and 
may enter in through the gates into the city." 

"Mount up the heights of wisdom, 

And crush each error low ; 
Keep back no word of knowledge 

That human hearts should know. 
Be faithful to thy mission, 

In service of the Lord, 
And then a golden chaplet 

Shall be thy just reward." 

In the gospel's offer of salvation, everything is based 
upon what Christ has done for us. He himself is the 
"Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world." 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 177 

It is no part of my present purpose to enter into the 
rationale of Heaven's grand remedy for human guilt. 
The theme is too broad for my present limits, too grand 
for one who feels himself but a child in the deep things 
of God. I assume it as certain that the salvation ten- 
dered in the gospel is not an unconditional salvation. 
The gospel itself is not a universal declaration of am- 
nesty to sinners without a proviso or a limitation. The 
amnesty offered can only be enjoyed by complying with 
the terms prescribed. In making salvation possible, God 
has done just enough — nothing more. God proposes to 
meet and forgive the sinner at the right point. Infinite 
wisdom made man a free agent, and infinite Wisdom 
will not ignore that agency in saving him. God wills to 
save the sinner, but the sinner must put himself in a 
postion where God can bestow the boon in harmony with 
unchanging and eternal laws. What, then, must the 
sinner do? How many are the steps he is required to 
take? What are those steps? I answer: He must be- 
lieve in Jesus Christ; this is the first step. He must 
heartily repent of all his sins; this is the second step. 
He must be solemnly baptized upon a confession of his 
faith in the Son of God; this is the third and last step 
required in the divine arrangement. I do not now argue 
the New Testament authority for the successive steps 
here laid down. For the present, this is assumed. Why 
do men need salvation at all? Because of sin. If, then, 
man be freed from sin, what need he fear? In a word, 
if man be freed from sin, life and death, time and eter- 
nity, are all his, for he is Christ's and Christ is God's. But 
there are two salvations : one, the first, from all the alien 
sins committed before conversion ; the other, your eternal 
salvation of which Paul speaks in Rom. 13:11. "And 
now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed." 



178 TRAINING TO TEACH 

And again, Phil. 2:12: "Work out your own salvation 
with fear and trembling." "How shall we escape if we 
neglect so great a salvation?" (Heb. 2:3). As there is 
a divine and human part in salvation, and as God is 
faithful who has promised, will we be faithful and hear 
him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant"? 
Springfield, Mo. W. E. Harlow. 



BROTHERLY KINDNESS 

Brotherly kindness is not a doctrine, but a life, and 
at no time in the history of Christianity is it so much 
needed as now. Love is mightier than logic and its 
results as permanent as God. We must not impugn an- 
other's motives. We must not put into another's mouth 
what he has not said. We must not ridicule another's 
interpretation of the Scriptures. We must not speak 
discourteously of other communions, but, instead, we 
must believe in people and trust them. We must love 
those of other communions, and prove it by our courtesy 
when with them and by our defence of them when they 
are absent. We must not forget that the apostle said: 
"Do nothing through faction or through vainglory, but 
in lowliness of mind each counting others better than 
himself; not looking each of you to his own things, but 
each of you also to the things of others." 

We must let nothing interfere with our practice of 
brotherly kindness. We must be as jealous in uphold- 
ing this high principle of Christian life as we are in our 
loyalty to Christian baptism. If we are misrepresented 
or abused, we must take it kindly. The Christianity of 
dogma will never conquer the world, whether it is the 
dogma of the sixteenth century or the twentieth, whether 
it is written or unwritten ; but a living, warm, brotherly 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 179 

kindness, fed by the sacred heart of Christ, will conquer 
every tribe and nation. It has in it the power of the 
Holy Spirit, and in its practice we will be eager to love 
all — those who love us and those who love us not ; eager 
to forgive every one for every offence; eager to defend 
others, and, best of all, eager to be a brother to the 
broken race. When we shall have thus comprehended 
brotherly kindness, we will have set ourselves afresh to 
a genuine fidelity to both Christ and the Book that re- 
veals him. Peter Ainslie. 
Baltimore, Md. 



REMISSION OF SINS 

That all men have sinned and have come short of the 
perfect standard of living, no sane mind can doubt. In 
other words, we are all sinners, guilty of wrong-doing. 
How shall we get rid of our sins? How shall they be 
remitted? These are life problems of great moment. 

A human court may remit a fine, but it can not remit 
sins. Only Divinity can do that. Some charged Jesus 
with blasphemy because he claimed to forgive sins. 
When we sin we transgress God's law ; therefore the 
forgiveness must come from him ; it takes place in the 
mind of God. The only real evidence we can have that 
our sins have been forgiven is the consciousness of hav- 
ing met the conditions upon which God promised to ex- 
tend his pardon. 

Faith in Christ (expressed with the lips and life), 
repentance toward God and obedience to his command- 
ments to be baptized and to arise walking in a new life 
— all these are necessary conditions for the remission of 
sins. The mistake that many young men make, is that 
they imagine that they will spend a few years in sin, 



180 TRAINING TO TEACH 

then turn to God and have him forgive their sins, and 
that no evil results will then ever come; whereas it is 
true in one sense that the evil effect of sin can never be 
obliterated. The memory of a murder committed will 
haunt and distress the soul, even though the laws of 
God and man have been met and satisfied. The white 
life in youth will make the golden days of sunshine for 
old age. The scars of spiritual wounds must always 
remain as a reproach and warning. Yet blessed be the 
name of God, for his love is deeper than human guilt is 
deep. W. T. Brooks. 



"IMMORTALITY" 

The instinct of immortality is as old as life. The 
idea permeates all religions and is the cry of every 
heart. We work in the present, but we live in the future. 
The future home, position, attainment, journey, pleasure, 
stand out as beckoning stars. This cry for the future 
does not end with future life attainments, but goes on 
and on beyond the grave and into eternity. Abraham 
looked for a city which had a foundation whose builder 
and maker was God. Paul said, "If in this life only we 
have hope, we are of all men the most miserable." 
Immortality has a thousand tongues proclaiming its 
reality. The absolute inability to destroy anything ma- 
terial is as a trumpet voice proclaiming it aloud from 
world's end to world's end. The form may change, but 
the amount of matter remains the same. One form gives 
way to another form, but is never destroyed. There may 
be death and decay of material life, but always is the 
resurrection in some other life. If, on this lowest plane, 
there is no sting in death, what shall we say of the 
human life, the human soul? 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 181 

"If a man die, shall he live again?" has been on the 
lips of mankind oftener than all others together. 
Grown gray and seventy, the life that is, is overshadowed 
by the life that is hoped to be. Man flings up his arms, 
not into vacancy, but into reality, and sobs out his con- 
fession at a throne inhabited by Him who said, ''Because 
I live, ye shall live also." And Jesus was not the first 
to proclaim the doctrine. Plato and Socrates affirmed it. 
The philosophies of the Indians were founded upon it. 
It is suggested by the dominion given man in this life. 
The inborn nature of man discloses it. There is some- 
thing within him that can not be satisfied with the earth 
earthy. 

If man is akin to God, God will not leave him when 
the body is cast off as a cloak. The future life is not 
deaf and dumb, but has a thousand voices, each one 
redolent with hope. He who in this life furnishes light 
for the eye, melody for the ear, truth for the mind, life 
for the heart, has provided immortality for the soul. 
Water for the fish, air for the bird, the jungle for the 
beast, is the answer to their need, and immortality must 
be the answer to the longing of the soul. Immortality 
depends not on possessing it now, but upon the assurance 
of the soul's new birth beforehand. One has only to 
read the soul of man to be convinced of immortality. 
What further proof need we possess than the statement, 
"Man was made in God's image"? If these voices dis- 
close it within and without, revelation discloses it in no 
uncertain tones. It is unfolded upon every page of the 
Old Testament. Christ boldly taught it, both before and 
after his own resurrection, and is himself the highest 
evidence of the law. The best is always in store. The 
ancient Passover was but a prophecy of the Passover 
Christ. Sitting with him around his holy table each 



182 TRAINING TO TEACH 

Lord's Day is but a taste of the eternal joy of being 
with him forever. The thought of immortality sustains 
us in our trials, is joy in our sorrows, is hope in our 
death. 

As the wonderful music of the chimes of St. Nicholas 
of Amsterdam floating out over the city called lord and 
peasant, prince and beggar alike, to stop and listen, so, 
like the tones of a golden bell of hope, wonderful, cease- 
less, resistless, came floating down the ages : "I am the 
resurrection, and the life : he that believeth in me, though 
he were dead,- yet shall he live : and he that liveth and 
believeth shall never die." 

"In my Father's house are many mansions. I go to 
prepare a place for you ; that where I am, there ye may 
be also." Walter Mansell. * 

Washington, Pa. 



CONFESSION 

"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as 
Lord." — Rom. 10 : 9. 

It is a difficult thing to confess Christ. Strong men 
tremble and grow pale as the issue is pressed upon 
them. Men of courage, men of action, dally and pro- 
crastinate and wait when the great decision is to be 
made. It is hard. Why? 

It is "with the mouth." It is open and public. It is 
before the world, and these inmost things we should 
like to keep in the privacy of our own hearts. 

It receives into his rightful place "Jesus as Lord." 
This is the crux. It enthrones Jesus in our hearts and 
gives him the rule over our lives. We stand committed, 
pledged — openly, formally. He is to rule. He is to be 
Lord of our lives. The form of the confession is "Jesus 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 183 

is the Christ." Implied in the word "Christ" are the 
ideas of Prophet, Priest and King. To confess that 
Jesus is Christ is to receive him as Prophet, Priest, King 
— Teacher, Mediator, Ruler. 

It ought not to be hard to do that, after all. I need 
him. I need him as teacher. I need him as mediator. 
I need him as ruler of my life. Confession is helpful 
rather than hard, a boon and not a burden. Its very 
publicity and formality are a strength to me and an as- 
surance of final victory. I. J. Cahill. 

Cleveland, O. 



baptism 

Here in the twentieth century we find baptism in the 
church. It is not a twentieth-century invention. It is 
not a human device at all. The wisdom that devised it 
for the church was divine. The authority that placed it 
in the usage of the church was divine. 

We should think of baptism entirely and always 
apart from the controversies that men have raised. 
Being a divine gift to man, we can think of it from that 
point of view with greatest profit. 

I. Its significance. The New Testament conceives 
of it as a living picture, an enacted symbol of the burial 
and resurrection of Christ. This symbol being enacted 
by those who have separated themselves from sin, died 
to it, it therefore becomes a pledge to rise into a new 
life. "Baptismal vows" are therefore very real, very 
solemn, very comprehensive. 

Their spoken form, the confession of Christ, pledges 
obedience to his Lordship. Their enacted form, the 
likeness of his burial, formally manifests submission to 
him. 

(7) 



184 TRAINING TO TEACH 

II. Its beauty. The death, burial and resurrection of 
Christ are the great, solemn, significant facts of the gos- 
pel of our salvation. Baptism, picturing those facts, is 
beautifully, divinely appropriate. So solemn a ceremony 
should be separated from controversy and kept for de- 
votion. I. J. Cahill. 

Cleveland, O. 



SANCTIFICATION 

The word "sanctification" is from the two Latin 
words "sanctus" (holy) and "facere" (to make), and 
means to make holy, or set apart in a holy service or 
use. In the New Testament use of the word, it simply 
means to become a Christian, set apart in the service 
of God. "Follow after peace with all men, and the 
sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord" 
(Heb. 12: 14). Then, in order to be saved, one must 
be sanctified. 

The Old Testament Use of the Word. — God set 
apart both persons and things for his sacred service. 
"God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it" (Gen. 
2:3) ; that is, he set that day apart for rest and holy 
education. "And Moses took the anointing oil, and 
anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and 
sanctified them. And he sprinkled thereof upon the 
altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his 
vessels, to sanctify them. And he poured of the anoint- 
ing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify 
him" (Lev. 8: 10, 11). 

The New Testament Use of the Word. — Jesus said : 
"Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and 
sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, 
I am the Son of God?" (John 10:36). Jesus was set 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 185 

apart and sent from heaven to be the Saviour of the 
world. The man of sin is represented by such meta- 
phors as "dead," "lost," "alien," "foreigner," "de- 
stroyed," "condemned" — any one of these words ex- 
pressing his lost condition. The Christian, in contrast 
with the sinner, is "alive," "found," "a citizen," "re- 
generate," "converted," "sanctified," "born anew," "par- 
doned," "saved." These words are also synonymous 
and may be used interchangeably. The process of mak- 
ing a Christian out of a sinner is called "conversion," 
"regeneration," "new birth," "justification," "sanctifica- 
tion," "adoption." Any of these words will express the 
correct idea. 

DIAGRAM. 

The Sinner. Process of Change. The Christian. 

Dead. Regeneration. Alive. 

Lost. Conversion. Found. 

Alien or foreigner. New birth. Citizen. 

Unregenerate. Sanctification. Regenerate. 

Condemned. Adoption. New creature. 

Unconverted. Justification. Converted. 

Destroyed. Born anew. 

Who Is Supposed to Possess It? — Not a special few, 
but God requires it of every one who would be saved 
(Heb. 12: 14; 1 Cor. 1 : 12). 

How Obtained? — Not a direct or miraculous gift 
from God upon chosen ones, but by the obedience to 
the truth and prayer ( 1 Tim. 4:4, 5 ; 1 Pet. 1 : 22, 23 ; 
Rom. 6: 17, 18; John 17: 19). 

What Does It Require? — 1. Not a life of absolute 
sinlessness. Paul addressed the church at Corinth as 
the "sanctified in Christ Jesus" (1 Cor. 1:1, 2), and 
then rebuked them for their sin of division ( 1 Cor. 1 : 



186 TRAINING TO TEACH 

10-13). Paul rebuked Peter for not walking "uprightly," 
for his inconsistency (Gal. 2:11-14). Paul confessed 
his own weakness (Rom. 7: 15-23), and had to "buffet" 
his body to "keep it under subjection" (1 Cor. 9: 27). 

2. Nor that one can never be tempted again. 

3. But an effort to live a holy life (Heb. 12: 14, 15). 
Bartlesville, Okla. R. H. Fife. 



WORSHIP 

First : Avoid stiffness and mere dry formality. Such 
services are not spiritual or helpful. Keep out of ruts. 
As a rule, no two services should be exactly alike. Both 
sermon and songs should have variety and freshness. 

Second: Morning services should, as a rule, be more 
solemn than evening services. I have found the follow- 
ing program, with variations to suit occasions, very sat- 
isfactory : 

1. Orchestra Prelude. 

2. Song — "Holy, Holy, Holy." (Audience standing.) 

3. Invocation. 

4. Song. 

5. Scripture Reading. 

6. Communion Song. (Two stanzas. Audience 
standing, elders and deacons coming forward while sing- 
ing second stanza. Remain standing until thanks are 
given, one for the loaf and another immediately for the 
cup.) 

7. Organ or orchestra voluntary may be played softly 
during communion service. 

8. Offering. (Use plenty of deacons to wait on audi- 
ence quickly and orderly. Pray for the offering before 
taking it. To save time, announcements should be made 
while offering is being taken.) 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 187 

9. Special Song. (If not a solo or quartet, make it 
a rousing congregational song.) 

10. Sermon. 

11. Invitation Song. 

12. Benediction. 

Third: Avoid long services. Eliminate unnecessary 
preliminaries and announcements and tedious talks at 
the Lord's table. Prayers at the table should be brief 
and to the point. No time for long, set prayers. Every 
part of the service should sparkle with interest and be 
deeply spiritual. 

The evening program may be similar in form, but 
with more music and of a more stirring variety. Whilst 
"My Faith Looks Up to Thee" or "Come, We that Love 
the Lord," are suitable for a morning service, "The 
Fight Is On" will be especially appropriate for the even- 
ing. Avoid a quick change from a fast, stirring song 
to a slow, solemn one in the same service, and vice versa. 

Fourth : Elders and deacons should be thoroughly 
drilled so they can perform their work in the most 
orderly way. Elders should know how to eld and dea- 
cons how to deak. 

Fifth : Reverence in the Lord's house. Some audi- 
ences act more like they are at a social gathering than 
at church for worship. People should enter and leave 
the house quietly and prayerfully. The leading mem- 
bers of the church should be near the entrance to greet 
and welcome strangers. The audience should never be 
scattered over a building. Seat the people closely so the 
emblems can be passed in good order. 

Sixth : Ventilation. No service can be very fruitful 
of good in a close, stuffy room. Just before the sermon 
the audience should stand to sing, and open all doors 
and windows until the house is filled with pure air. 



188 TRAINING TO TEACH 

Seventh: No service should be closed without good 
fellowship. Handshaking becomes contagious, if only 
a few will start it. Everybody likes a sociable, hand- 
shaking church. Roger H. Fife. 

Bartlesvile, Okla. 



REPENTANCE 

In studying the gospel of the Son of God, we are 
naturally impressed with the great emphasis that is 
placed upon the subject of repentance. John preached 
it in the wilderness, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom 
of heaven is at hand." Throughout the entire ministry 
of our Lord he never lost sight of this all-important 
theme, but commanded men everywhere to repent and be 
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission 
of sins. And so we should preach it to-day, in order 
to make men better, holier and happier in this life and 
to lead them into that sinless, tearless, deathless home 
above. 

What is repentance? Some one says, "It is sorrow 
for sin." But is this all? Doubtless few men but at 
some time in their lives become sorry for the sins they 
have committed. Conscience-stricken and pricked in his 
heart, the murderer says, "I wish I had never done that ;" 
but such is not repentance. The devils, who "believe 
and tremble," may, for aught we know, be sorry for 
their sins through all eternity and yet never repent. 
Their sorrow, as well as that of every man who is con- 
scious of convicted guilt, is not repentance ; it is remorse. 
The word "repentance" in the Scriptures means to 
change one's course in life. It is sorrow for sin with 
a determination to quit sin and to lead a new life. "Re- 
pentance, then, is something that stands between sorrow 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 189 

for sin and the change of the life in which sins are 
abandoned and a better course of conduct begun." How- 
are men brought to repentance? How is the stubborn 
will of man subdued so that he is willing to say, and does 
say, "O Lord, not my will, but thine, be done"? 

Paul says, "He hath appointed a day in which he will 
judge the world in righteousness" (Acts 17:31). When 
God judges the world in righteousness every unrighteous 
man will be condemned, and only those who repent and 
turn to him will be saved. Here we have foretold the 
fearful consequences of those who continue in sin. But 
Paul tells us of another motive to repentance, and that 
is the goodness of God. "Or despisest thou the riches 
of his goodness and forbearance and longsufTering, not 
knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to re- 
pentance?" (Rom. 2:4). When we consider God's in- 
finite goodness, his lovingkindness and tender mercy in 
urging men to turn away from sin, we see the highest 
motive that Heaven can offer in bringing souls to the 
Saviour of the world. The awful judgment against 
impenitent sinners on the one hand, and the goodness 
of God on the other hand, are two effective motives to 
bring sinners to repentance. If we repent not, we shall 
die in our sins, and if we die in our sins, the Master 
says, "Whither I go, ye cannot come." Repent, there- 
fore, and turn to him that you may live forever. 

Connersville, Ind. L. O. Newcomer. 



BLASPHEMY 

God's kindness as well as his justice stands out in 
bold relief in all his teachings to men. To blaspheme, 
to take the name of God in vain, to use lightly or irrev- 
erently that name "which is above every name," that 



190 TRAINING TO TEACH 

name before whose majesty "every knee shall bow," is 
to by so doing damage the character of the one who 
pollutes his lips by an irreverent use of it when his 
whole being can be exalted by treating sacred things in 
a sacred way. Jesus prayed, "Hallowed be thy name." 
When men cease to hallow and honor the name of God 
and Christ, it is a short road to anarchy, rebellion and 
a degraded life. For the preservation of our nation, its 
flag must not be trailed in the dust or trampled in the 
mud. To keep the precincts of home sacred, the name 
of "Mother" must ever be in the links of the sacred 
three, "Mother, Home and Heaven." The careless 
handling of the name of our chief ruler and the custom 
of our papers of cartooning in exaggerated distortions 
the face and features of our President ought to be a 
crime punishable by law. Nothing helps so much to 
breed anarchy and disrespect for government. Teach 
people not to speak evil of the rulers of the people. Cry 
aloud against all forms of blasphemy or slang that mixes 
the name of God and Christ with our conversation in a 
careless or irreverent way. The old copyists of the Bible 
always wiped their pens before writing the name of 
Jehovah. I have made it the rule of my life never to 
abbreviate the name of God or Christ, never to begin 
either with a small letter or to use or allow to be 
used in my home the names of either, except in rever- 
ence. Men who blaspheme the name of God daily would 
not allow the name of wife or mother handled so by 
others. How foolish, wicked and degrading, then, it is 
to swear. Foolish because the man that swears, serves 
the devil for nothing and boards himself. The devil 
may pay something for lying, stealing and many forms 
of sin, but he expects the poor, foolish swearer to sin 
for nothing and become sillier than a fish that can be 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 191 

caught on a naked hook. Blasphemy is wicked, God- 
dishonoring and self-degrading. God has said, "I will 
not hold him guiltless who taketh my name in vain." 
"But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither 
by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other 
oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest 
ye fall into condemnation" (Jas. 5: 12). 

R. R. Hamlin. 



giving 

Some one has said that giving is like using tobacco. 
A little at first makes one sick, but as the habit grows 
we can not do without it. The difference between those 
who give and those who do not is illustrated by the 
Jordan River and the Dead Sea. The Jordan gives and 
is fringed with verdure, and is called a blessing as it 
flows on. The Dead Sea gives not, and lies surrounded 
by desolation and death. The preacher who is too care- 
less or cowardly to urge upon his people the joy and 
blessedness as well as the cheerful duty of giving is 
committing a crime against his church, his family and 
his successor, and he speedily makes way for the latter. 
If I were a millionaire minister and had no need of the 
salary, I would still teach my people to give. Nothing 
ties people to a work or cause like putting something 
into it. My little twelve-year-old son has something like 
fifteen to twenty dollars in a certain bank. You can not 
convince him that it is not the best bank in town. "Give, 
and it shall be given you." "The liberal soul shall be 
made fat" was the wisdom of Jesus. In teaching men 
to give to preacher, church, missions, benevolence, etc., 
I am but saving them from themselves and the devil. I 
would as soon think of allowing my people to cultivate 



192 TRAINING TO TEACH 

the habit of covetousness as the habit of theft, for they 
are all classed together in the Scriptures. We preachers 
have been too apt to teach men all other graces, but let 
them learn for themselves the grace of giving. Lead 
your people, when occasion demands, to large, liberal, 
hilarious giving, and you will find that there is nothing 
that will be a sweeter experience in their lives. Teach 
men to give now and not wait for their estate to be ad- 
ministered upon. Teach them to covet the joy of giving. 
Preach it, sing it, talk it, pray it, and your people will 
happily respond and esteem you a hundred- fold more 
for having taught them. R. R. Hamlin. 



WHAT IS THE HEART? 

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see 
God." 

Paul says : "With the heart man believeth unto right- 
eousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto 
salvation" (Rom. 10: 10). The heart is the source of 
all good and evil in men's lives. Like the stream on the 
hillisde, if the fountain from which it issues is pure, 
the stream will be pure; if the fountain is impure, then 
the stream will be poisonous. Thus Solomon says : "Son, 
keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the 
issues of life." 

I. What is the heart in the spiritual sense? Not the 
emotions or affections merely, but the whole intellectual 
and moral being. The following are said to be done with 
the heart : Thinking (Matt. 9:4), reasoning (Mark 2 : 6- 
8), understanding (1 Kings 3:9), believing (Rom. 10: 
10), meditating (Ps. 19:14), desiring (Rom. 10:1), 
loving (Deut. 6:5), hating (Lev. 19:17), purposing 
(Dan. 1:8), rejoicing (Ps. 33:21), obeying (Rom. 6: 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 19 s 

17). Thus the heart includes all the intellectual and 
moral and spiritual functions of the soul. 

II. How do we know the condition of the heart? 
First, by the actions of the individual. Jesus said: "A 
good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth 
forth good things; the evil man out of the evil treasure 
of his heart bringeth forth evil things*' (Matt. 12:35). 
Thus evil thoughts, surmisings, purposes in the heart, 
will find expression in the life and character. A good 
tree can not bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt 
tree bring forth good fruit. Second, the condition of 
the heart is known by the words and conversation. "Out 
of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." 
Again, "Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, 
thefts, false witness, blasphemies.'" The things upper- 
most in the heart will find expression in language. 

III. The necessity of a change of heart. Jeremiah 
the prophet says: "The heart is deceitful above all 
things and desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9). Jesus said: 
"The heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears 
are dull of hearing," etc. (Matt. 13:15). Sin has de- 
praved the heart of man. The heart of the sinner must 
be wholly changed in conversion. This was the great 
truth taught by Jesus to Nicodemus the Pharisee. 
"Marvel not that I say unto thee, thou must be born 
anew" (John S : 7)- 

But what is involved in a change of heart in the con- 
version of the sinner? 

1. A change of understanding concerning sin and its 
results. Sin blinds the eyes, deceives the judgment, 
sears the conscience and blasts the life. See Paul's com- 
mission to the Gentiles (Acts 26: 18). 

2. A change of affection. "Where your treasure is, 
there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6: 21). The heart 



194 TRAINING TO TEACH 

turns from the love of sin to righteousness, from evil to 
good, and darkness to light, from the love of worldly 
things to heavenly realities. 

3. A change of will. The sinner submits his will to 
the dominion of sin and evil, passion and appetite, error 
and selfishness. In turning to God with the whole heart, 
the will is surrendered to the authority and dominion 
of Jesus as Lord. Thus Saul of Tarsus exclaimed: 
"Lord, what wilt thou have me do?" (Acts 9:6). 

IV. How is the heart brought into harmony with 
God ? Not by a miraculous or supernatural act of Deity 
or the direct operation of the Holy Spirit, but by the 
Spirit of God acting through Christ and his gospel. The 
heart is purified by faith (Acts 15:9). Faith cometh 
by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10: 17). Thus the 
sinner is born again (1 Pet. 1 :23). 

No impure heart shall enter heaven, no vile presence 
cast shadows on the streets of gold, no polluted soul 
shall cross the threshold of the gates of pearl. 

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see 
God." R. W. Abberley. 

Cincinnati, O. 



PEACE 

(Isa. 9: 1-7; Col. 3: 15.) 

What? A state of quiet or tranquility ; freedom from 
agitation or disturbance ; calm ; repose. 

For whom? For the individual, the home, the nation, 
the church, the whole world. What a blessing is peace. 
How we should "seek peace and pursue it." 

Can it be? It would not be difficult in a perfect en- 
vironment with perfect powers of adaptation ; but as 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 195 

perfection in neither of these is possible to us in this 
world, it is apparent that it is not easy to live a life 
of peace amidst the distractions of our complex civiliza- 
tion. 

It is possible; for was not our Saviour looking to- 
ward this time and these conditions when, scanning the 
future, he said to his disciples, "Peace I leave with you; 
my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth give 
I unto you" (John 14: 2j) ? 

The world can not give it. The world says plenty 
produces peace. But, in truth, peace produces plenty 
and we may live in peace in spite of pinching poverty. 

Contentment helps. Discontent and peace may not 
dwell together, but contentment opens wide the door for 
peace to enter, and "godliness with contentment is great 
gain." 

Peace is profitable. Peace is constructive, never de- 
structive, and, as Ruskin says, "the world would yet be 
a place of peace if we were all peacemakers, but so long 
as we choose to contend rather with our fellows than 
with our faults, so long, truly, the flaming sword will 
still turn every way, and the gates of Eden remain 
barred close enough, till we have sheathed the sharper 
flame of our own passions, and broken down the closer 
gates of our own hearts." To live peaceably with all 
men makes easy a life of peacefulness, and prosperity 
will follow. 

Not secured by compromise. Peace may not be pro- 
cured by compromise, but must ever rest on the firm 
base of justice (Ps. 89: 14; Luke 10:37; Rom. 12:18- 
21), "and earthly power doth then show likest to God's 
when mercy seasons justice." 

Perfect peace is promised him whose mind is stayed 
on God (Isa. 26:23). Claim this gracious gift through 



196 TRAINING TO TEACH 

the "obedience of faith" (Rom. 16:26), working by- 
love (Gal. 5:6), that you may have the full assurance 
of hope (Heb. 6: 11), and "the peace of God which 
passeth all understanding shall guard your hearts and 
your thoughts in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7). 

He is Prince of peace (Isa. 9:6). His kingdom is 
peace (Rom. 14:7). His subjects are messengers of 
peace (Isa. 52:7; Matt. 10:13; Jude 2). Their mes- 
sage is the gospel of peace (Eph. 6 : 15) for all the world 
(Matt. 28: 19; Mark 16: 15). 

Blessed are the advocates of this gospel — the peace- 
makers — for they shall be called the children of God 
(Matt. 5:9). Morton L. Rose. 

Colfax, la. 



COURAGE 

The most damning word in our vocabulary is 
"coward." The most heartening is "courage." 

"He who loses wealth loses much. 
He who loses friends loses more. 
He who loses courage loses all." 

"Will anybody give England a new type of young 
man, the nation's pride?" asks Richard Whiteing in 
"The Yellow Van." The same question might well be 
asked for the church. And when that young man is 
found he will be one in whose make-up courage is 
dominant. For courage is a fundamental virtue. All 
moral lesion is the outcome of cowardice. No man be- 
comes noble and great-souled until he is "very courage- 
ous." Brave men are honored by their fellows. By 
God, too. He is looking for such in the pulpit, in politics 
and in education. They are needed everywhere. 

But there is courage and courage. There's the spec- 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 197 

tacular sort that is seen in the heat of battle. The 
courage of Waterloo, Gettysburg, Mukden. The courage 
that depends on the stimulating presence of fellow- 
fighters. That's the courage of the tiger — the brute in 
us. The other type, and higher, is that which is born 
full oft in isolation. Worms, Florence, Edinboro, are 
the significant names here. This is the courage of the 
godlike in us. How marvelously rare is this moral 
courage ! How wonderfully common the other ! Daniel's 
courage outranks David's, for David smacked overly 
much of the first type. It was indeed a courageous thing 
for a shepherd lad to tackle a giant, but he had an army 
behind him. Daniel was a lone captive Jew. The one is 
the courage of the physical, the other of the spiritual. 

This higher courage has its roots in faith. So this 
conquering quality is not a gift that only a select few 
may possess. It is Heaven's equipment for all who 
will seek it. Courage to preach the truth and not stop 
to feel the pulse of the congregation before delivering 
the message; courage to say "No" when everybody is 
saying "Yes;" courage to tell the truth when by a little 
"white lie" you might gain some material advantage; 
courage to do your duty in obscurity while others may 
be in the light of popularity, because they have forgotten 
there is such a stern word as duty; courage like Tom 
Brown's, kneeling to pray amid the jeers of the dormi- 
tory; courage like Chrysostom's, rebuking the Empress 
of Eudoxia to her face for her lax morals; courage to 
champion the cause of your God as quickly as you would 
the cause of the woman you love. Courage of this sort 
has its roots deep in faith. 

Of all courageous hearts, Jesus is chief. Once he 
was the popular hero. Crowds followed him gladly. 
Then his popularity waned. The crowds dwindled 



198 TRAINING TO TEACH 

away. The twelve were tempted to go too. "Will ye 
also go away?" And in the end they all forsook him and 
fled. It takes a mighty courage to carry on one's work 
in the face of such things. He made himself of no 
reputation. He was willing to be called a sinner if by 
associating with sinners he could lift them to higher 
levels. He sets his face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem, 
knowing full well what awaited him there, but he goes 
content to give his life a ransom for many. That's 
courage. That's heroism. That's bravery. Like it earth 
has seen none. It is the "example" He has given us. 

"Since I must fight if I would reign, 
Increase my courage, Lord." 

Columbus, O. T. L. Lowe. 



POWER OF THE WORD 

"Where the word of a king is, there is power." — 
Eccl. 8:4. 

Our subject is "The Power of the Word of God." 
This was shown first in the creation of earth and heaven 
and all that in them is (Gen. 1 ; Ps. 33 : 9 ; Heb. 11:3; 2 
Pet. 3:5-7). By speaking to man directly, God taught 
man to speak to God, to man, to the intelligent creation 
below man. Then God speaks to man through men and 
women, and these utterances are called "The word of 
God" and have power. After a time men begin to write 
down these words, and then we have "The Written 
Word of God." Of these writers, Moses was the first 
and Ezra (or Malachi) the last in the Old Dispensation. 
Their "Written Word" had power. (Neh. 8:5-9; 2 
Kings 22:10, 11; Jer. 23:29; Ps. 119:9-11, 50, 105; 
Mark 4:1-11; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3: 
15.) Jesus was "the Word of God in flesh." The Word 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 199 

can be an image of the Lord (Heb. 1:3) and an expres- 
sion of the will (John 1: 1-14). The "Word in flesh" 
had power. See his physical miracles (Matt. 4 : 23 ; Mark 
4 : 39 ; Mark 5:41; Luke 7:14; John 1 1 : 43, 44) . They 
were mainly intended to prove that he had power to 
perform the invisible and spiritual miracle of forgiving 
sins (Matt. 9: 1-6). 

After his ascension to heaven, Jesus inspired and 
sent out apostles, and they preached and wrote and that 
which they thus gave to the world is called "Scripture," 
and "The word of God" (Matt. 10: 18-20; Acts 4: 19, 
20 ; Acts 8:14; Acts 1 1 : 1 ; Rom. 10 : 6-10 ; 2 Pet. 3 : 16) . 
As such it had and still has power. 

It is the seed of the kingdom, whether that be sym- 
bolized by the vegetable or animal world (Matt. 13: 1- 
23; 1 Cor. 4: 15; 1 Pet. 1:23). 

All of the products of a kingdom are in the seed of 
that kingdom, and the seed of the kingdom of heaven 
is "The word of God." Some plants have no trunks, 
some no leaves, some no flowers, but all have seed. We 
judge the power by what it produces. The word of 
God, if lived and preached, has power to confound all 
gainsaying (Acts 6:9, 10; 1 Cor. 1:18-31). It has 
power to produce all necessary conviction for sin (Heb. 
4: 12; Acts 2:37). It will produce the faith that saves 
the soul (John 20 : 30; Acts 2 : 41 ; Acts 11 : 13, 14; Acts 
26 : 16-18 ; Rom. 1 : 16 ; Rom. 10 : 17 ; Jas. 1:21). 

It will produce spiritual growth and development 
(Acts 20 : 32 ; 1 Pet. 2:1, 2) . 

It will produce liberty, both for the body and the 
soul (John 8: 31, 32). 

Other words die away in the hideous stillness of life ; 
all others are lost in the roar of the flood of death : "The 
grass withereth, the flower f adeth ; but the word of our 



200 TRAINING TO TEACH 

God shall stand for ever" (Isa. 40:8; 1 Pet. 1:24, 25). 
Take three admonitions: one from Isaiah (8:20), one 
from Jeremiah (23:28, 29), and Paul's dying charge to 
Timothy (2 Tim. 4:1, 2), in full confidence, always re- 
membering that "where the word of a king is, there is 
power." James Vernon. 

Henderson, Ky. 



PRAYER 

I. Elements of Prayer. 

1. Thanksgiving (Eph. 5:20). The heathen have 
no word for thanks. How unnatural the child who 
never renders thanks to a loving Father. 

2. Adoration (Matt. 6:9). "Our Father, hallowed 
be thy name." 

"O worship the King, 
All glorious above." 

3. Confession. We approach God, not like the Phar- 
isee full of self-love and self-righteousness, but like the 
humble publican. "If we confess our sins, etc." (1 John 

1:9). 

II. Conditions of True Prayer. 

1. In the name of Jesus (John 14: 13). 

2. Ask in faith (Jas. 1:5, 6). Many prayers are 
unanswered through lack of faith. But while some talk 
of the unreasonableness of prayer, and its involving a 
suspension of the laws of nature, etc., shall men of faith 
deny the present power of God? God is imminent, he 
is everywhere; not a blade of grass grows, or an insect 
wings in flight, or a sparrow falls, without our Father's 
watch-care. Doubters take too narrow a view of the 
laws of nature and ignore the spiritual and unseen forces 
of God's universe. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 201 

3. Ask in accord with the divine will (Jas. 4:3). 
"Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss." 
III. Why Pray? 

1. Man needs divine sympathy, a sense of the divine 
presence. God had but one sinless Son, and how often 
Jesus prayed. Before every great crisis in his life Jesus 
spent much time in prayer. Before his temptation, at 
the selection of the twelve, the sending forth of the 120 
disciples, before Calvary, how he prayed ! So in the 
hour of loneliness and the stern struggle with sin and 
sorrow men turn instinctively to God. 

2. We need prayer for power and service. Luther 
said, "I can not get along without three hours a day in 
prayer." The prayer that does not get a man off his 
knees to do something is the emptiest thing in the world. 
Jacob triumphed by prevailing prayer and became Israel, 
"a prince." Prayer is the Christian's vital breath. Satan 
trembles for his kingdom when he sees a Christian on 
his knees. 

"Lord, teach us to pray." R. W. Abberley. 

Cincinnati, O. 



HOPE 



Man is the monarch of these realms : the past, the 
present and the future. In the past he wields the 
scepter of memory; the present, the scepter of reason, 
and in the future, the scepter of hope. Of this hope we 
would emphasize these things : 

1. It is native to the soul. It is as natural for the 
child to hope as it is to sleep or wake or drink. It is 
mother's milk. It requires experience to teach it to 
doubt, but it hopes as naturally as the flower sheds its 
perfume and the lamp sends out its light. Experience 



202 TRAINING TO TEACH 

helps the migratory bird in many things — in the finding 
of its food, in the evading the fowler's net and the 
huntsman's bullet — but it knows instinctively when to 
leave the cold waters of the northern lakes and seek the 
southern seas. 

2. It is helpful in life. It makes and keeps us young, 
for Hope and Youth have a common mother. It gives 
us courage. The best work of the physician is to inspire 
hope in his patient; the best work of the teacher is to 
inspire hope in the pupil; the best work of the com- 
mander is to inspire hope in his soldiers. And there are 
many in the army of the Lord, discouraged and ready 
to give up, whose lives would be transformed if the 
flame of hope could be rekindled in the soul. Hope in 
the soul gives vision to the eye, hearing to the ear, 
strength to the arm and spring to the step. It is a light 
diet, but, oh, how stimulating! So long as we hope, we 
go forward, but when hope departs we hesitate, we halt, 
we tremble, we doubt, and then we sink down into the 
"Slough of Despond." The death of hope is like the 
setting of the sun ; it leaves us in darkness. Hope makes 
us happy. 

"I laugh, for hope is happiness with me. 
If my bark sinks — 'tis to a happier sea." 

3. It is our comfort in death. There is no sadder 
scene in all the world than old age without hope. Be- 
hold the picture. See that old man trembling under the 
weight of years. His eye is dim, his ear is deaf, his hand 
is palsied, and he is as weak as a child again, but the 
innocence of childhood is gone, and the wickedness of a 
long life, like a millstone about his neck, is weighing 
him down into the gulf of despair. He looks back over 
the dreary waste of life with bitter regret, and forward 
to the future with anxious fear, and he curses the day 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 203 

in which he was born, and he calls upon the mountains 
to fall upon him and hide him from the face of his 
God. But how glorious is age when brightened by hope. 
It reminds us of Moses standing on the summit of old 
Pisgah, with God and the angels near him, and the 
promised land just across the narrow Jordan. "Let me 
die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be 
like his." M. M. Davis. 

Dallas, Tex. 



ETERNAL LIFE 

There are many reasons why we believe in the end- 
less life promised by the Lord. Let us mention some of 
them: 

1. Because of our heart yearnings. As the wings of 
the bird and the fins of the fish imply an element 
adapted to them — air and water — so this always present 
and almost inextinguishable desire for eternal life im- 
plies its existence. As the Creator would not mock the 
natural yearnings of these lower creatures, surely he will 
not mock them in his own children. 

2. Because of the shortness of life. There is a fig- 
tree standing at the north window of my study, and it 
has stood there for years, but has never borne any figs. 
This is not because it does not desire and strive to bear 
them, but the season is too short. With the coming of 
the breath of spring it always puts forth its leaves and 
buds and for a time it looks as if we would have the 
rich, ripe fruit. But before it can ripen, the frost comes 
and our hopes are blighted. Even so it is with our 
souls. The season between the cradle and the grave is 
so brief that we can not bring to maturity the fruits of 
the spirit, and so the endless summer of eternity is 



204 TRAINING TO TEACH 

needed for the full development of the plans and pur- 
poses only begun in the flesh. 

3. Because of the demands of love. The mother hen 
loves her young, and cares for them, and fights their 
battles for a little while; but in a few weeks she casts 
them off — "weans" them — after which they are no more 
to her than the offspring of any other mother. Not so 
with human mothers. When the babe is born she greets 
it with a love as deep as eternity, and as endless. The 
child may grow into a man and become mighty among 
men, or he may become more degraded than a brute, but 
he is still her child, and the mother love follows him 
wherever he goes, and clings to him whatever he does. 
Or, it may be that the babe dies in infancy, and with 
empty arms and aching heart she follows the little boy 
to the grave. Years come and go — many of them — but 
she never forgets her darling babe, and she cherishes 
with ever-increasing hope the thought of meeting it 
again. Will not the good God, who thus binds them 
together by the imperishable bonds of love, reunite them ? 
Did not Israel's poet-king, when standing by the casket 
of his little child, voice the eternal truth in parental 
love: "I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me." 

Dallas, Tex. M. M. Davis. 



FORGIVENESS 

(Matt. 18:35.) 
In the teaching of Jesus, forgiveness is fundamental. 
It is the Christian's "sine qua non." "Forgive as we 
forgive" is his own putting of it, and no amount of 
homiletic juggling can make it mean other than that. It 
is a distinctively Christian idea. In days of old it was 
"an eye for an eye." Forgiveness was the unexpected 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 205 

thing. Plutarch says that on the monument to Sulla in 
the Campus Martius at Rome was this inscription: "No 
friend ever did me so much good or so much harm but 
I repaid him with interest." Jesus, as Carnegie Simp- 
son so illuminatingly says, made forgiveness operative. 
Nothing quite commends a man as this spirit. What 
makes a greater impression? What so clothes a man 
with power? Portia's famous description of mercy in 
"The Merchant of Venice" is nothing but a keen putting 
of the power and the beauty. of forgiveness. "To err 
is human; to forgive, divine." Never is a man more 
godlike than when forgiving. The greater the heart, 
the less room there is for the memory of a wrong. 
"Revenge is sweet," says the proverb, but it is not so. 
It is bitter. Revenge puts one a million miles from 
heaven. Revenge is the weapon of fools. 

In Mosquito Indian "to forgive" is "to take a man's 
fault out of your heart." Forget fulness is the implica- 
tion of forgiveness. Forgiven must spell forgotten. There 
is a fine phrase somewhere that speaks of the "loving 
forgetfulness of God," based on Jer. 31 : 34: "I will re- 
member thy sins no more." Ah ! to be children of the 
heavenly Father, men must forget as they forgive. If 
not, then up rises an interrogation mark. The unforgiv- 
ing spirit is a pitiable, childish, lamentable, weakening 
thing. It results in two calamitous things — closing the 
avenues of usefulness and spiritual impoverishment. 
For the Christian, there can be no such thing as grudging 
forgiveness. In "Ivanhoe,' , one of the characters says, 
"I will forgive you as a Christian," and Wampa, the 
jester, who stands near, says, "Which means he does not 
forgive her at all." "Till seventy times seven." Grudge- 
less and limitless. It is this wonderful overplusage, this 
second-mile spirit, that makes Christianity the charm and 



206 TRAINING TO TEACH 

the inspiration of the ages. Whittier's words go to the 
heart of the matter: 

"My heart was heavy, for my trust had been abused, 
Its kindness answered with foul wrong; 
So, turning gloomily from my fellow-men, 
One summer Sabbath day, I strolled among 
The green mounds of the village burial-place; 
Where, pondering how all human love and hate 
Find one sad level; and how, soon or late, 
Wronged and wrong-doer, each with meekened face, 
And cold hands folded over a still heart, 
Pass the green threshold of our common grave, 
Whither all footsteps tend and none depart; 
Our common sorrow, like a mighty wave, 
Swept all my pride away, and trembling I forgave." 

Columbus, O. T. L. Lowe. 



AUTHORITY 

What is authority? It is defined by the Standard 
Dictionary to be: "The right to command and enforce 
obedience; the right to act by virtue of office, station or 
relation; as, the authority of parent over child; the 
authority of an officer." Authority is of two kinds: 
Primary, which grows out of the relation of those who 
have the right to command those whose duty it is to 
obey. Second : Delegated authority, which can be given 
to another by the party holding primary authority. The 
fountain of all primary authority in religion is God. We 
are his and he made us; we are the creatures of his 
handiwork and the product of his intelligence. He is 
our Maker, our Preserver and our bountiful Benefactor, 
and has, therefore, the absolute right to command, and it 
is our absolute duty to unquestionably obey. But our 
heavenly Father has rarely seen fit to govern men by his 
personal and primary authority. He has delegated 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 207 

that power to others, and rules by his representatives. 

In considering delegated authority, the first delega- 
tion was from the Father to the Son, as will be seen 
from the following Scriptures. Heb. i : i : "God, who 
at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time 
past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last 
days spoken unto us by his Son." The Son himself 
says : "The word which you hear is not mine, but the 
Father's who sent me." "No man knoweth who the 
Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will 
reveal him." And the Son closes his life on earth and 
prefaces his great commission to the apostles with the 
statement : "All power in heaven and in earth is given 
unto me; go ye therefore, and teach all nations;" and, 
under the inspiration of that commission, they went for- 
ward, teaching a lost world that "God is in Christ, recon- 
ciling the world to himself." 

The Son stands nearest the Father in delegated au- 
thority. He is the "brightness of the Father's glory and 
the express image of his person." "It ha*th pleased the 
Father that in him all fulness should dwell;" and when 
the Father acknowledged him after his baptism, he said, 
"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; 
hear ye him." He was not only the delegate of God on 
earth, but he is the "image of the invisible God," and 
he said to his doubting disciples, "He that hath seen me 
hath seen the Father." 

We now reach the second step in the transfer of 
delegated authority; namely, transfer from Jesus Christ 
to the apostles. And the second step in divine authority 
is Christ in the apostles. In the transfer of authority 
from the Father to the Son, there was no danger of 
error or mistake. The Son, being as divine as the 
Father, could receive without misunderstanding all that 



208 TRAINING TO TEACH 

the Father communicated. But the apostles are human, 
with all the weaknesses and imperfections that pertain 
to humanity, and there is danger, therefore, that they 
may misapprehend or misunderstand the communication 
which Christ makes to them because of their imperfec- 
tions. It becomes necessary, therefore, for some power 
or influence to be exerted on their minds to preserve 
them from error and from mistakes, either in taking in, 
or in giving out, the lessons which they are to receive; 
hence, Christ promises them the Holy Spirit, which is 
to guide them into all truth in the conveying of this 
gospel to the world. This is made evident by a number 
of Scriptural passages. Christ says to his disciples: "I 
have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot 
bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, 
is come, he will guide you into all truth : for he shall 
not speak of himself ; but whatsoever he shall hear, that 
shall he speak : and he will show you things to come. He 
shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall 
show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are 
mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and 
shall show it unto you." In commenting upon this in later 
years, the apostle said: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear 
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the 
things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit : for 
the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of 
God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save 
the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things 
of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now 
we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the 
spirit which is of God; that we might know the things 
that are freely given to us of God. Which things also 
we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teach- 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 209 

eth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth." It is evident, 
therefore, that Jesus saw fit to impart the Spirit to his 
apostles that they might make no mistake in making 
known his will to the sons of men. Just as Jesus was 
the representative of God on earth, so the Spirit-guided 
apostles are the representatives of Jesus upon the earth 
for the purpose of making known his will to the sons of 
men. Their teaching is Jesus' teaching; their com- 
mandments are the commandments of Jesus, and their 
authority, the authority of Jesus. "He that receiveth 
you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him 
that sent me." Would you receive God? Receive Jesus 
Christ whom he has sent. Would you receive Christ? 
Receive the apostles whom he hath sent. 

We have now reached the stage of the final transfer 
of delegated authority. When the apostles completed 
the revelation of the will of God in Jesus Christ, it be- 
came the perfect law of liberty to which nothing could 
be rightfully added; from which nothing could be right- 
fully taken away. The object of the baptism of the Holy 
Spirit and its divine guidance was to insure against mis- 
takes in the revelation of the gospel. That object having 
been attained, there is no more necessity for special illu- 
mination by the Spirit. Men talk of being led and 
guided and controlled by the direct operation of the 
Spirit. Such men talk blindly and madly. In the his- 
tory of a religious fanaticism, there has hardly been a 
single case of an infatuated or misguided man who has 
not made a similar claim. The same is true of wicked 
and designing imposters. "That man to-day who is led 
by the Spirit is led by the truth, and the man who walks 
not according to the teachings of the apostles walks not 
according to the Spirit." The man who teaches men to 
disobey the plain commandments of the apostles can not 



210 TRAINING TO TEACH 

be guided by the same Spirit that inspired them to pro- 
claim those commandments. The same Spirit which 
leads an apostle to proclaim a truth will not lead any 
one else to ignore or to disobey that truth. All attempts 
to add to the words of the apostles, or to subtract from 
them, or to substitute other teaching in the place of their 
teaching, is of the devil. The devil had no opportunity 
to corrupt the truth as it proceeded from the Father to 
the Son, neither had he an opportunity to corrupt it as 
it proceeded from the Son to the apostles, but his time 
arrived when the apostles proclaimed it to all mankind: 
"Those by the wayside are they that hear; then cometh 
the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, 
lest they should believe and be saved." The unfolding 
of divine authority may be marked by the expression, 
God in Christ, Christ in the apostles, and the apostles in 
the world. Z. T. Sweeney. 

New York City. 



THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD'S 
LOVE 

(i John 4: 7-5: 3.) 

"God is love. Herein was the love of God mani- 
fested." 

INTRODUCTION. 

Wherever you find love, you will find the manifesta- 
tion of love; for love can no more hide itself than the 
flower its fragrance, the sun its light, or the bird its 
song. If a man loves his country, he will show it both 
in his life and by his ballot. If a man loves his family, 
he will show it by setting the right example before them. 
If a man loves God, he will show that love by keeping 
his commandments. So if we hear that God is love, we 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 211 

will look for the showing of that love. He has mani- 
fested his love 

IN NATURE. 

1. hi our earthly home. When a father loves his 
family, he will build the nicest home his resources will 
justify, and adorn it with pictures and glorify it with 
music. So God has given us a beautiful home, ceiled 
with blue, curtained with vapors, carpeted with grass 
and our table loaded with luxuries. 

2. Our heavenly home. Ingratitude often leads to a 
loss of inheritance, but our Father is preparing a still 
better one. 

3. In all his creatures. Affection displayed by the 
domestic animals is a part of the divine nature, and every 
act of kindness and benevolence reflects it. This is the 
wisest way to deal with man, for he can be drawn, but 
not driven. 

IN THE BIBLE. 

1. In telling us our origin. We are curious to know 
about beginnings of nation, history, man, world. Only 
satisfactory account in Genesis. 

2. In telling of our fall and the remedy. The nature 
and power and consequences of sin fully set forth. Just 
as physicians are telling of nature of disease germs. 
Then the remedy for sin. The gospel is "good news." 

3. In telling our destiny. It answers the world's 
greatest question, "If a man die, shall he live again ?" 

IN THE INCARNATION. 

i. God is a Spirit — hence this need. Man in the flesh 
could not understand God in the spirit. Heard of God's 
power and goodness and mercy and love, but when saw 
Jesus stilling the tempest, healing the sick, forgiving the 
sinner and dying on the cross, the world realized as 
never before these spiritual realities. 



212 TRAINING TO TEACH* 

2. So John says, "in this," or "herein." He forgets 
nature and revelation and thinks only of this supreme 
manifestation in the death of Jesus Christ. 

3. The obligation placed on us. To love him and to 
show our love to him. He wants first our love, just as 
a wife wants love from her husband. God knows if we 
love him we will serve him. W. F. Turner. 

North Yakima, Wash. 



SALVATION 

In the gospel offer of salvation, everything is based 
upon what Christ has done for us. He himself is the 
"Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world." 
It is no part of my present purpose to enter into the 
rationale of Heaven's grand remedy for human guilt. 
The theme is too broad for my present limits, too grand 
for one who feels himself but a child in the deep things 
of God. I assume it as certain that the salvation ten- 
dered in the gospel is not an unconditional salvation. 
The gospel itself is not a universal declaration of am- 
nesty to sinners without a proviso or a limitation. The 
amnesty offered can only be enjoyed by complying with 
the terms prescribed. In making salvation possible, God 
has done just enough — nothing more. God proposed to 
meet and forgive the sinner at the right point. Infinite 
Wisdom made man a free agent, and infinite Wisdom 
will not ignore that agency in saving him. God wills to 
save the sinner, but the sinner must put himself in a 
position where God can bestow the boon in harmony 
with unchanging and eternal laws. What, then, must 
the sinner do? How many are the steps he is required 
to take ? What are those steps ? I answer : He must 
believe in Jesus Christ; this is the first step. He must 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 213 

heartily repent of all his sins; this is the second step. 
He must be solemnly baptized upon a confession of his 
faith in the Son of God; this is the third and last step 
required in the divine arrangement. 

I do not now argue the New Testament authority for 
the successive steps here laid down. For the present, 
this is assumed. Why do you fear the judgment of 
God? Because of sin. If, then, man be freed from sin, 
what need he fear? In a word, if a man be freed from 
sin, life and death, time and eternity, are all his, for he 
is Christ's and Christ is God's. But there are two salva- 
tions; one (the first) from all the alien sins committed 
before conversion; the other, your eternal salvation of 
which Paul speaks in Rom. 13:11: "And now is our 
salvation nearer than when we first believed." And 
again, Phil. 2 : 12 : "Work out your own salvation with 
fear and trembling." "How shall we escape if we neg- 
lect so great a salvation?" (Heb. 2:3). As there is a 
divine and human part in salvation, and as God is faith- 
ful who has promised, will we be faithful and hear him 
say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" ? 

Springfield, Mo. W. E. Harlow. 



CHANGE OF HEART 

The word "heart" is used 1,011 times in the Bible — 
747 times in the Old Testament and 164 times in the 
New Testament. A subject that is mentioned so often 
should command our reverent study. The question of 
"change of heart" forms an important part in the doc- 
trines of the Protestant churches. Much confusion has 
arisen through diverse teachings, by accentuating emo- 
tional experiences above the simple teachings of the 
Scriptures. 



2U TRAINING TO TEACH 

The first question to be answered is, "Does the Bible 
teach that the heart needs to be changed?" The plain 
answer is that it depends upon the state of the heart to 
be considered. If the heart is completely bad, it needs to 
be completely changed. If it is partly bad, it needs to 
be changed in so far as it is wrong. When one believes 
with all his heart, any change in that respect would be 
for the worse — a change from faith to disbelief. It is 
certain that the doctrine of total depravity is unscrip- 
tural, that no heart is completely corrupt until the un- 
pardonable sin has been committed. When a heart is 
totally depraved, every avenue for the admission of the 
gospel is closed and there is no possibility of any change. 

But the general statement holds true that the Bible 
teaches that every heart needs to be changed, and the 
supreme purpose of Christ is to work this transforma- 
tion. It is a process, and not a single act or experience. 
It is essential that we know, first of all, what the heart 
is. This can be determined by substituting in each text 
where one word occurs, another word that will give a 
clear and unequivocal meaning. Five different words 
will suffice to do this in the 1,011 Bible references. 

The word that will be used most often is "mind." 
Primarily, the word "heart" is equivalent to the word 
"mind." If this word could always be substituted with 
complete sense, change of heart would simply mean 
change of mind from disbelief to faith; but mind will 
not always suffice, for we read in Phil. 4 : 7, "Hearts and 
minds." 

The word that can be substituted next often is "af- 
fections." Next to this is "will." There is a class of 
passages where it is difficult to find any one word that 
will supply a clear meaning. They indicate one's whole 
relationship to the divine message, either its total rejec- 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 215 

tion or acceptance. Perhaps the word "attitude'' will 
best express this meaning. 

The other word that we will need to use in this in- 
vestigation is "life," which includes all the others and 
is the end to which all else ministers. 

It is very evident that, if these five words embrace 
the content of the word "heart," a change of heart would 
necessitate a regeneration of the mind, affections, will, 
attitude and life. The mind is changed by evidence or 
testimony and the result is faith. The affections are 
changed by a life or example or ideal that produces love. 
The will is changed by a motive that induces a right 
choice. Loving the right and choosing the right consti- 
tute repentance. True repentance is not simply an emo- 
tion; it must eventuate in a decision for the right. The 
attitude of the heart towards Christ, as manifested to the 
world, is changed in a public confession of faith, the 
acknowledgment of his Lordship. 

Life is begun anew when its state (condemned, dead 
— defiled) is renewed. It is very easy to be confused at 
this point. Baptism is represented as the act of obedi- 
ence that marks this change; but it is not the outward 
act seen by the eyes of men that constitutes this, but the 
burial of the soul, the death to sin and the resurrection 
in a new kingdom, the renunciation of the old and the 
allegiance to heaven's King. Baptism becomes both the 
representation and expression of this supreme dedica- 
tion. It follows that the conscience is renewed. The 
soul stands in the presence of the cross, life's supreme 
tragedy and victory, and receives its ransom. "Hearts 
sprinkled from an evil conscience, and bodies baptized 
in water" (Heb. 10:22). It inevitably follows that with 
the death of the old and the putting on of the new the 

whole character and conduct of life becomes trans- 
(8) 



216 



TRAINING TO TEACH 



figured. This change is evidenced by faithfulness. The 
following is a representation of this great subject: 



HEART 

Does it need to 
be changed? 

Acts 8: 21 ; Rom. 2 : 
5; Luke 8: 15; Ps. 
24:4; Ezek. 36:26. 



Mind 



Faith 



Matt. 13: 15 ; Mark 2: 8 ; 
Prov. 23: 7 ; Acts 8: 22 ; 
Rom. 10: 10; John 14: 1 
Matt. 15:19; Matt. 9: 4. 

Affections 



11:23; 



Col. 3: 2 ; 
Matt. 6: 21 ; 
Mark 12: 30. 

Will 

Luke 21: 14; 
Ps. 51: 17. 



Attitude 

Heb. 3: 8. 
Acts 7: 51. 



LIFE 

Matt. 5: 8 ; 
a Tim. 1:5. 



FULLERTON, Cal. 



Love 

Luke 12: 34 ; 
Matt. 15: 8 



Choice 

Acts 11:23; 
Josh. 24: 15; 
1 Cor. 7:37; 
Luke 21: 34. 



State 

Eph. 4:8; 
Col. 4:8; 
Jas. 4:8; 
Acts 5: 3. 

Conscienc 

Acts 2: 37; 
Acts 7:54; 
Heb. 10: 22; 
2 Tim. 1: 5. 

Conduct 

1 Cor. 7:37; 
Rom. 2: 29. 



Eph. 3: 17 ; 
Acts 15:9; 
Acts 8: 37. 



Repentance 

Jas. 4: 8 ; 
Acts 28:27 
Rom. 2: 5. 



Confession 

x John 3: 20; 
2 Tim. 2: 22. 

Baptism 

Rom. 6: 17 ; 
2 Cor. 1: 22; 
Heb. 10: 22. 

Pardon 

Rom. 5: s ; 
2 Cor. 4:6; 
Gal. 4: 6. 



Faithfulness 

Col. 3: 22 ; 

1 Thess. 3: 1-?; 

1 Pet. 3: 15. 



Bruce Brown. 



PRAYER 

It ought to be easier to believe in prayer now than 
at any time in the history of the world. Once, if a man 
wanted to ask a friend for help, he had to be face to 
face with him or within voice rail. In such an age, to 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 217 

the average man God must have seemed beyond reach. 

Then telegraphy was invented, and men could send 
others messages and their prayers for aid to friends on 
the other side of the world and could get a prompt reply. 
But this required a wire, and there were no wires to the 
throne of God. 

Then wireless telegraphy was invented, so that now 
a man can give his appeal to his friends broadcast with- 
out the aid of a wire. His petitions have wings now and 
search vast areas for an answer. 

When the "Republic" was in distress off the banks 
of Newfoundland, the wireless operator sat at the keys 
and called for help. His prayers traveled tirelessly; 
they winged their way through the fog and the darkness 
and over the weary waste of waters. Again and again 
he sent forth his prayer for aid, and the prayer was 
heard and answered, and not a passenger or sailor lost 
his life when the ship sank. 

Why should it any longer be thought a thing in- 
credible that our prayers should find their way to the 
heart of God ? But in wireless telegraphy the sending 
instrument must be keyed like the receiving instrument. 
So the soul of the man who prays must be in tune with 
the spirit of the great Father to whom the petition is 
sent. If the unforgiving man prays to be forgiven, 
there is no instrument in heaven that can receive a 
prayer sent in such a fashion at that. 

"But," some one may say, "laws are the habits of 
God. He governs the universe by law, and these laws 
are insatiable, as are also all the mighty forces of the 
universe. God will not interfere with these laws or 
hinder the operation of these forces to answer our 
prayers, even if he does hear them, so what's the use to 
pray?" Well, I am only a man, but I can answer my 



218 TRAINING TO TEACH 

child's prayer in spite of certain laws and forces that 
try to hinder me. This child's helplessness appeals to me 
for a shelter. My love prompts me to answer that ap- 
peal. I go out into the fields to get stone for the founda- 
tion. Two of the mightiest forces in the universe stand 
in my way. Inertia grips the stone and attempts to keep 
it where it is, and but for my will it would have its 
way. Gravity, that force that holds the world together, 
attempts to hold that rock where it is and tries to thwart 
my purpose ; but, in spite of these mighty forces, neither 
of which I can annual or change, I do answer my child's 
prayer. I put force against force and law against law, 
and overcome and conquer and rear this shelter for my 
child. If I, an earthly father, can find a way to give 
good gifts to my children, how much more shall our 
heavenly Father know how to give good gifts to them 
that ask him. Carey E. Morgan. 

Nashville, Tenn. 



BLASPHEMY 

Defined. — Blasphemy is the profane attitude of man. 
This attitude at once inspires in the blasphemer a spirit 
of self-exaltation, placing him in a sphere of unrestraint. 
Having severed the bonds that held him in loyal allegi- 
ance to God and all things sacred, it becomes an easy 
task to assume superiority and with a feeling of impunity 
attack the name, the power, the authority and the sacred- 
ness of God and Christ, the Holy Spirit and the inspired 
Word. With his belligerency thus declared, the blas- 
phemer becomes the enemy of all things pertaining to 
the divine. 

Danger. — Having assumed a defiant attitude toward 
Divinity in utterance and life, the blasphemer falls under 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 219 

the fearful condemnation pointed out by Christ, who 
said, "He that exalteth himself shall be abased;" and 
again of blasphemy, "It shall not be forgiven." His 
whole life is committed to a warfare against the Infinite, 
and he alone assuming the risk. He takes the risk of all 
consequences here and rejects all help and hope here- 
after. 

Position. — Having pointed out in general the dangers 
of the blasphemer, his position is obvious; it is one of 
defiant independence. Disregarding the Divine, blas- 
pheming the Holy, and declaring his defiant independ- 
ence of all these, he rises to the self-erected pinnacle of 
absolute superiority. Profaning the Holy, defying the 
Divine and rejecting the higher rule, he is the enemy of 
God, in a state of rebellion against all law, and at war 
against all that is good. His position is unenviable and 
pitiable. 

Loss. — In this defiant attitude and rebellious state, 
the blasphemer's loss is greater far than he can appre- 
ciate or words express. He loses, first, God, who said, 
"No other gods before me," for he has made himself 
superior to God. He loses next that greatest of all em- 
bellishments of human character, holiness, for he has 
defied and rejected Him who said, "For I am holy," and 
becomes lost to the source of all true holiness and right- 
eousness. In this he loses the softening and restraining 
influence of spiritual law, without which character can 
not be made sublime. 

Servitude. — Having suffered the loss of God, holiness 
and spiritual law, the blasphemer becomes the servant 
of degraded and unrestrained self. He has divorced 
God, spurned holiness and denied the Christ in his re- 
jection of the Holy Spirit. Disregarding all these, he is 
rendered the helpless victim of his own passion and 



220 TRAINING TO TEACH 

pride, to serve these unrelenting and extortioning task- 
masters with no hope of reward nor of satisfying their 
exacting demands. He thus becomes, instead of the 
monarch of his own existence, the bondservant of unre- 
warding infidelity. 

End. — The end of blasphemy follows first in its 
logical conclusion, and second in its results. The logic 
of the situation is that God is denied, his Son rejected, 
his Spirit spurned, and his covenant with man abrogated. 
Blasphemy, therefore, abases God and all things divine, 
putting all things sacred below the level of the self- 
exalted blasphemer. 

The results that follow are sad indeed. The life is 
godless, its hopes a delusion. Infidelity supplants faith 
and leads to doom. Rebellion displaces submission and 
makes the blasphemer the enemy of all that is good. 

If God, under the reign of law, demanded the life of 
him who blasphemed, what, think ye, will be the end of 
him who under the administration of grace blasphemes 
that which is holy and true? E. G. Hamilton. 

Portsmouth, O. 



CHANGE OF HEART 

(Jer. 17:9; Matt. 5:8.) 

Introduction. — The subject as a study theme. In 
few instances has any subject suffered more at the hands 
of modern religious teachers. It has come in many in- 
stances to mean only a vague sentimentalism ; an occult 
emotionalism of little value. 

The subject is one of vital importance since the con- 
dition of the heart decides the issues of life (Matt. 
12 : 34, 35 ; Mark 7 : 21 ; Luke 6: 45). The heart is the 
workshop where thoughts, desires, purposes and passions 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 221 

are wrought out. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is 
he." This explains why Jesus said, "Blessed are the 
pure in heart : for they shall stand before God," and 
at the same time declared that men shall be judged by 
their words and deeds. If the natural heart, under the 
virus of sin, is deceitful above all things and desperately 
wicked, then the heart must be changed if we shall ever 
be justified. What, then, is the Scriptural significance 
of a change of heart? Is it more than feeling? Is the 
heart simply the circulatory organ of the physical body? 
Or is it like the heart of oak, the very center of man's 
being, from which everything else radiates? 

1. Scriptural Survey of the Purpose and Function of 
the Heart. 

i. The heart is the seat of the understanding. Men 
think in their hearts (Luke 9:47). It is the source of 
reason (Mark 2:8), and men understand with their 
hearts (Matt. 13:15). Hence thinking and reasoning 
lead to a correct understanding. 

2. According to the Scripture, the heart is the main- 
spring of human affection. With it we either love God, 
which is our supreme duty (Matt. 22:37, 38), or we 
love our earthly treasures (Matt. 6: 19-21). "Love not 
the world, neither the things of the world, for the friend- 
ship of the world is enmity with God." 

3. The heart of heart is the very throne-room of the 
soul. Here the imperial will is sealed in regal power. 
"According as every man has purposed in his own heart, 
so let him do" (2 Cor. 9:7). The heart controls the 
will (1 Cor. 7:37) — the will to do the things we love 
to do. 

4. Conscience, the monitor of the human soul, stands 
hard by the throne to direct the will, either approving or 
disapproving the life. "If our hearts condemn us, God 



222 TRAINING TO TEACH 

is greater and will condemn" ( I John 3 : 20) . Thus the 
law of life is written on the tablets of the hearts of men 
(Rom. 2:13-15; 2 Cor. 3:3). 

In contradistinction of a doctrine of mere sentimen- 
talism, the Scripture defines the heart as the seat of the 
understanding, the affections, the will and the con- 
science ; or the intellect, the sensibilities, the will and the 
moral judgment of good and evil. 

If the Scriptures so consider the heart, do thy provide 
adequate means for a change of the whole man, creating 
a new man, thus making peace? Is this change instan- 
taneous and does God use more than one means ? Is the 
change miraculous or only natural, or is it both? 

II. How the Heart is Changed. 

1. The understanding is changed by the evidence of 
testimony: "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the 
word of God." The only justification is based upon an 
intelligent faith (Rom. 10:6-15). 

2. The affections are changed through love as mani- 
fested in Christ Jesus and his cross. "We love him be- 
cause he first loved us and gave himself for us." 

3. The will is changed through or by the motives pre- 
sented in the gospel : the attainment of a Christlike life, 
the joys of heaven and escape from death. 

4. Conscience is changed by doing. It is only thus 
that our hearts are sprinkled from an evil conscience in 
the washings of baptism. In every recorded case of the 
results of conversion in Acts, joy and approval of con- 
science were a result, not an evidence of a change of 
heart. 

Conclusion (summary) : Faith in Christ changes our 
thought of sin. Repentance changes our love from the 
sinful things of the world to God. Confession changes 
our allegiance from sin to Christ. Baptism changes our 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 223 

state from condemnation and alienation to justification 
and reconciliation to God, and all together bring peace 
and joy of an approving conscience and a loving Father 
God. W. B. Taylor. 

Bethany, W. Va. 



POWER OF THE WORD 

With a spirit akin to that of him who wrote, "Blessed 
is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord," 
should we meditate upon the Word whose . power we 
may feel. With a vision before him of a happy, pious 
man actuated in all his dealings, by day by the unfailing 
principles set forth in God's word, and in his wakeful mo- 
ments by night meditating upon the whispering of God's 
Spirit, we have the Psalmist's mind-picture of the up- 
right, crystalizing truth in acts by day and drinking from 
the unfailing fountain of truth when alone with God. 
He has set his seal that that Word is a power in his life. 

As Jesus Christ climbed the heights leading to Cal- 
vary he looked across the hilltops of all the past and 
let his gaze rest upon the plain of God's first recorded 
word, and, of all he saw, said, "Search the scriptures; 
for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and these 
testify of me/' He believed them true and himself the 
emancipating personification of the Word when he said, 
"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you 
free." And of all that was yet to be revealed he said, 
"When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide 
you into all truth." The liberating, enlightening and up- 
lifting power of the Word is once more attested, and by 
Him who spoke as one having authority. 

The power of the Word pointed out finds its inhe- 
rency, first, in its vitality. Jesus, appropriating to him- 



224 TRAINING TO TEACH 

self the distinction of being the Word personified, and 
recognizing his eternal existence, said, "My words are 
life." And of the words that Jesus spoke and the truths 
he enacted ; John by the Spirit is made bold to say, "Be- 
lieving, ye might have life." With the thought of his 
own existence being interrupted neither by time, sorrow, 
suffering nor death, the Christ contemplated an endless 
ministration of power by the Word whose existence was 
co-eternal with himself, and said, "I have given them 
thy word." 

The next notable power of the Word dependent upon 
its inherency is found in the fact that it is also spirit. 
"My words are spirit," said he who was "the Word 
made flesh." While we may not fully comprehend the 
nature of the Spirit nor accurately determine the limita- 
tions of his sphere, yet we may and do recognize and 
receive his power in our lives. Thus, the Word, being 
spirit and Spirit-filled, comes into the heart and life 
possessed of all the power belonging to the Divine Spirit. 
Then it follows clearly that whatever power the Spirit 
imparts to us may also come into the believer's life by 
allowing God in his word to have his way. 

In the appropriations of the Word us-ward, its first 
power is discerning. Being vital, powerful and keen, it 
discerns the inner and motive agencies of the life. This 
scrutinizing by the Word is the Spirit's power to "convict 
us of sin, of righteousness and of judgment to come." 
It is God's power in his word to reveal man unto himself. 

Having made clear the inconsistency of sin, the Word 
comes in cleansing power to help and bless. By taking 
heed thereunto, the errors may be removed and the whole 
life purified. 

Again, the appropriation of God's grace in his re- 
vealed word is its sanctifying power. When Jesus com- 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 225 

muned with the Father as he stood at the close of his 
work in earth and with a desire for the sufficiency and 
efficiency of his apostles, he said to the Father, "Sanctify 
them through thy truth: thy word is truth." 

The truth is the same to-day. The Word is the same 
just now. The sanctifying power of the Word remains, 
and by its divine power all men may be enlightened in 
mind, purified in life, and brought to God. As of old, 
men were exhorted to "preach the word," may all who 
teach and preach hear the admonition and give answer 
in loyal proclamation and life. E. G. Hamilton. 

Portsmouth, O. 



THE HOLY SPIRIT 

(2 Pet. 1 : 2-4 ; Gal. 5 : 22 ; 6 : 9 ; Rom. 8:13.) 

There is no divine life in man aside from that which 
is begun, carried forward and consummated by and 
through the Holy Spirit. Our creation was by the 
brooding power of the Spirit; indeed, all life is by his 
quickening power. The creation of the world, the birth 
of its Redeemer and the begetting of the divine life in 
every Christian is by the Holy Spirit, through the word 
of God. The beginning of the church was by his power 
and guidance, for none other than the Spirit of God 
could know the kind of God and hence could give the 
conditions upon which God would pardon. The apostles 
could testify to the resurrection of Jesus, but they alone 
could not testify that he had been exalted at God's right 
hand of authority and power. 

I. This God's plan. Christ became partaker of our 
nature in order that we might be partakers of the divine 
life, which is holy. This constituted the expediency of 
Christ's going away. The Holy Spirit takes the place of 



226 TRAINING TO TEACH 

his personal presence to his disciples. If he were here 
on earth, only a few disciples could enjoy the helpfulness 
of his teaching and personal guidance. Now that he has 
gone to the Father, he has sent the Holy Spirit to abide 
with us all and always, and to be a helper in every time 
of need. It is the Spirit that helpeth our infirmities 
(Eph. 5: 16; Rom. 8:26; Gal. 5: 16, 17). This is the 
new and abiding presence (John 14: 16-18; 16:7). His 
mission is to guide the church into all truth; to quicken 
their minds to the teaching of the Master ; to fill Christ's 
teaching with new light and meaning, and to glorify 
Christ in the thought and lives of his disciples (John 
14:26; 16: 14). 

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of prayer and com- 
munion with God (John 16:22-27; Gal. 4:6). It is 
the spirit of filial intimacy; and, dwelling in us, inter- 
cedes for us when human speech fails (Rom. 8:26, 27). 
The end and aim of God in this spiritual dispensation is 
that we may be holy even as he is holy. Christ is not a 
substitute for personal righteousness and goodness, but 
produces the same in his followers. "To will and to do 
his good pleasure" is because of the divine presence in 
our lives. 

II. This is God's purpose. The motive inspiring our 
creation was that we should be his children and worthy 
of a place in his life and love. "He created us for good 
works" and that we should go and bear the fruits of the 
Spirit" (John 15:8; Gal. 5:22-25). God is a social 
Being, and as such can never be satisfied until all his 
children are gathered into his own bosom. While Christ 
is at the right hand of God to make intercession for us, 
the Holy Spirit is here on earth in Spirit-filled men 
pleading with the world for God ; and it is in Christ that 
God and man meet for a holy fellowship. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 227 

"The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit, that we 
are the sons of God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ." 
(Rom. 8:16, 17; 1 John 5:7; Heb. 10: 15.) How the 
two can witness together is a perplexing question to 
many. Indeed, it is inexplainable to those without his 
testimony. The Holy Spirit gives the terms of recon- 
ciliation and our spirit accepts those conditions. The 
Holy Spirit demands faith in Jesus Christ, witnessing 
for him ; our spirit testifies that we do believe. The Holy 
Spirit says, "Repent," and only the penitent soul can 
answer, "I do." The Holy Spirit gave baptism as God's 
way of inducting men into Christ (Gal. 3:27; Acts 2: 
38), where there is no condemnation, and our spirit 
alone can testify of the sincerity of our obedience. The 
Father has not only promised the remission of sins upon 
obedience, and that we should enter into Christ, but that 
his Spirit shall be given to abide in each disciple, pro- 
ducing the fruit of a godly life (Acts 2:38; Gal. 5: 
22-25). 

The Holy Spirit is not an influence. He is God — a 
practical definition of whom is love, goodness and holi- 
ness impersonated. While the Son is the outgoing of 
all this to the world, the Holy Spirit is the presence of 
God in his church, bringing the world to God, by re- 
straining from evil and impelling to all that is good. 
The Holy Spirit operates not only through the Word in 
conversion, but also through Spirit-filled men and wo- 
men (Matt. 5: 16). Thus the Holy Spirit is carrying to 
completion the work of both the Father and the Son. 

III. The results of this divine life. The results are 
marvelous; forgiveness, reconciliation to God, fellow- 
ship with him and the brethren, victory oyer sin, and a 
Christlike life, with its result and fruit of love, joy, 
peace, longsufrering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meek- 



228 TRAINING TO TEACH 

ness and self-control. Thus being partakers of the di- 
vine life, it will be as impossible for death to hold the 
disciple in whom the Spirit of God dwells as it was for 
death to hold his Christ; and hence heaven with all its 
joys is assured to those who are sealed with his presence 
(Eph. i : 13, 14). Strangest and most wonderful of all 
results of this wonderful reincarnation is the glory it 
brings to the Father-God who needs us and loves us 
(Matt. 5 : 13, 14; Eph. 7 : 14; John 15 : 8). It is through 
a Spirit-filled humanity that Christ is to destroy death 
and him who hath the power of death, even the devil. 
Only a Spirit-guided messenger could have established 
the church of God; only a Spirit-filled church can do his 
will; only a Spirit-filled life is acceptable to its Master; 
only a Spirit-aided humanity can triumph over the world, 
the flesh and the devil; only a Spirit-won soul is pre- 
pared for God's eternal presence. W. B. Taylor. 
Bethany, W. Va. 



MALICE 

In civil law, malice is a very comprehensive term. It 
includes any wicked or mischievous intention of the 
mind; any depraved inclination to mischief; any inten- 
tion to vex, annoy or injure a person without just cause 
or excuse; any wanton disregard of the rights or safety 
of others. 

Even willfulness is at law treated as malice. Divine 
law does not tolerate this or any iniquity. It says, "He 
that is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished," and, 
"Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine 
heart be glad when he is overthrown." Happiness is 
not secured through malice. Shakespeare says : "Deep 
malice makes too deep incision; forget, forgive." 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 229 

Stephen chose the better way and for his enemies 
prayed, "Lay not this sin to their charge." In this he 
was like our Master, who prayed, "Father, forgive them, 
for they know not what they do." Do these mean to 
justify evil-doers in their wicked deeds? By no means, 
but their own pure lives show the ugliness of the lives 
of those about them and their words add to the self- 
condemnation of the malicious mobs. 

The gospel groups a horde of iniquities and warns 
against them all. In I Cor. 5:8; Eph. 4:31; Col. 3:8, 
9; and Tit. 3 : 3, we find these : Anger, bitterness, clamor, 
disobedience, envy, evil-speaking, falsehood, hateful, 
hating one another, lust, maliciousness, vice, wickedness, 
wrath, and, as though fearful lest some form had been 
omitted, the writer adds, "and all malice," and urges, 
"from these turn away." What a horrible brood of 
vipers they are, and malice is mother of them all ! Those 
who practice such things injure not only the objects of 
their evil purposes, but also many others ; and themselves 
become entangled in a web of their own weaving, and 
perish. Much hatred hurts the hater more than it hurts 
the hated, for many are too cowardly or too prudent to 
execute the plans of their malignity or mischief, and 
these commit moral suicide by cherishing within their 
own hearts their malignant thoughts. We understand, 
then, what the law means by intent, and what the Bible 
means by "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he," and, 
"Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the 
issues of life," and, "Blessed are the pure in heart." 
We must not understand, however, that the state is 
malicious when it apprehends and punishes violators of 
the law. Laws are for the protection of all, and even 
lawbreakers are entitled to a hearing and defense. Nor 
is the church chargeable with malice when administering 



230 TRAINING TO TEACH 

discipline to those who transgress the divine law. There 
are the ordained means of protecting the state and the 
church from those that devise iniquity. 

Colfax, la. Morton L. Rose. 



HONOR 

Scripture references: Rom. 12:10, 17; 2\J, 10; 13: 
7; I Cor. 12:22, 23; John 5:23. 

I. The pursuit of honor is man's highest aim. 

1. To pursue honor is not to seek fame; a man may 
become famous for his infamy. 

2. To pursue honor is not to court prominence; a 
man may become prominent through self-promotion. 

3. To pursue honor is to seek excellence, and excel- 
lence is realized through service. 

II. The possession of honor is man's highest achieve- 
ment. 

1. It insures his self-respect, without which there can 
be no character. 

2. It maintains his regard for his fellows, without 
which there can be no happiness. 

3. It perfects his devotion to God, without which 
there can be no destiny. E. W. Thornton. 

Cincinnati, O. 



authority in the church 

The question of authority is absolutely fundamental 
in religion. If one believes in the authority of Mo- 
hammed, he is a Mohammedan. If he believes in the 
authority of Jce Smith, he is a Mormon. If he believes 
in the authority of the Pope, he is a Romanist. If he 
believes in the authority of some ecclesiastical body, he 



4 

A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 231 

is a denominationalist. If he believes only in the au- 
thority of Christ, he is a Christian only. 

We are coming to know that all authority is inherent 
in God, whether that authority be civil or religious. The 
only question incident to this discussion is who repre- 
sents that authority in the kingdom of God. We are 
just coming to know that which Christ proclaimed — ■ 
that all authority is delegated of God. He said to Pilate, 
"Thou couldst have no authority against me, except it 
be given thee from above." Be careful how you use that 
authority is strongly implied. As to his own claim of 
authority he said, "All hath been given unto me/' given 
by the Father — God. It was upon this authority that 
he sent forth his disciples, outlining his program. It 
was by this authority that he sent the Holy Spirit, who 
gave the terms of admission into the kingdom and who 
guided the apostles in the establishing of the church, 
and no less authority can change those conditions or 
the terms of pardon. 

Any delegated authority, to be effectual, must be em- 
bodied in noble personality and sustained by a royal 
character. It is here that authority has always failed in 
human hands, but the divine Son of God is triumphant. 

In his personal ministry, Christ never appealed to the 
recognized standards, but taught as one having authority. 
When crowned with thorns, he claimed to be King, and 
upon the cross he proclaimed divine authority in grant- 
ing the blessings of paradise to the penitent robber. But 
not until his victory over death and the grave, not until 
after his ascension and coronation, did he claim "all 
authority in heaven and upon earth." His authority is 
either supreme in the church or there is no authority 
No truth needs to be emphasized more to-day than the 
regnancy of Jesus Christ. There are many people who 



232 TRAINING TO TEACH 

are willing to accept him as Saviour who are not willing 
to let him reign absolutely in their lives. 

In modern church life there are three rival claim- 
ants to the authority of Christ in the lives of those who 
claim to be Christian, to say nothing of the reign of sin 
in our mortal bodies; these are reason, the church and 
the Bible. According to our fundamental thesis that all 
authority is inherent in God, there can not be sources of 
authority in matters of religion. There are not three 
kings, but one. There may be agencies through which 
that divine authority is exercised, but can not originate 
nor dictate that authority. 

Reason is that by which we apprehend the authority 
of God as revealed in Jesus Christ and by which we 
apply it to our lives. If reason were the source of au- 
thority, it would result in religious anarchy, because 
there would be as many standards as there are minds to 
reason. The church of Christ is not an anarchism nor 
even a republic, but an absolutism with Christ as its Lord 
and King. 

The church is not the source of authority, since its 
only authority is in its divine Lord. It is his body to 
obey his will "who is head over all things to the church." 
The church may speak with authority only as it is filled 
with his spirit and represents his mind and will. The 
church has no authority in itself; surely none to change 
the expressed commands of its King. The minister has 
no authority, but only the privilege of service. The elder 
has no authority in himself, but only the joy of an 
humble shepherding of the flock. He should be eyes to 
the body. Some men are trying to cause the church to 
fear the authority of the eldership, when their holiest 
ambition should be to cause the church to love them for 
their Christlike lives and service. If they poured out 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 233 

their lives for the flock as did the good Shepherd, there 
would be no question about the authority of the elder- 
ship. This is but a remnant of that spirit manifested by 
the Romish Church, which forsook the service of man- 
kind and appropriated to itself the honor which belonged 
to its Master. All such exaltation shall be humbled. 

The Bible can not be the source of authority, since 
its only authority is because it is the word of God con- 
cerning his Son. 

This position removes us from the old contention 
between Roman Catholic and Protestant churches — the 
one for an infallible church, the other for an infallible 
Book — and centers our thought and hearts upon the in- 
fallible Christ, presented by the Book of unimpeachable 
truth, and commits us to his authority, which is the 
authority of love. 

There are two kinds of authority in the world : the 
authority of fear, represented by the governments of the 
world, the purpose of which is to restrain from evil; 
and the authority of love, represented by the family and 
the church, the purpose of which is to inspire to nobler 
deeds and a purer life. "Let this mind be in you which 
was also in Christ Jesus," "whose meat was to do the 
will of him that sent him," contains the only solvent of 
the world's every problem. It will unite the church, 
evangelize the world and bring the kingdom of God to its 
full fruition. 

We have scarcely been willing to trust the authority 
of love, hence our religious emotions are commingled 
with fear and doubt, "Perfect love casteth out all fear." 
These things have belonged to the infancy of the church, 
but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in 
part shall be done away and we shall usher in the Golden 
Age of Christianity. 



234 TRAINING TO TEACH 

This position of exalting Christ to be head over all 
things to his church has its practical effect on us in the 
doctrines to be believed, the basal truth of which is that 
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; in the 
commands to be obeyed, to repent and be baptized into 
Christ; in the ordinances to be observed, baptism at the 
beginning of the Christian life and the Lord's Supper, a 
perpetual memorial in the church, both testifying of 
Christ's obedience to death and triumph over the same, 
a pledge and seal to all who manifest his spirit; and in 
the life to be lived, for "he that hath not the Spirit of 
Christ is none of his." 

This settles the perplexing questions of name to be 
worn; the action of baptism; the subject of missions — 
no man can claim to be Christian who does not possess 
a passion for the salvation of the whole world; it will 
decide the character of our home life, our business activi- 
ties and our pleasures. Only by enthroning Christ in 
every heart and serving in his name can the church fulfill 
its mission, which is twofold — to bring men and women 
into Christ, and to grow them up into his likeness. We 
shall never see the glory of the church until it recognizes 
the glory of its Lord. W. B. Taylor. 

Bethany, W. Va. 



SANCTIFICATION 

What does the term "sanctification" signify? 
"Sanctus" means "holy." "Facerc" means "to make." 
Therefore, to make sacred, to set apart, to consecrate, 
to hallow. State of being purified or set apart. Dedi- 
cated. 

What is the Bible use of the term? A few questions, 
with Scripture quotations, will make this plain. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 235 

1. What Does the Term "Holy" Mean? — Its 
proper meaning is suitable. Recall the expressions "holy 
oil," "holy nation," "holy vessels," "holy priesthood," 
"holy vessels." It is evident the word does not mean 
perfect or sinless. It means "something set apart to the 
worship or service of God." 

2. By What Power Does Sanctification Come? 
God is the source. Jude i : i : "Jude, the servant of 

Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are 
sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus 
Christ, and called: mercy unto you, and peace, and love, 
be multiplied. ,, 

The Father hath sanctified. John 10 : 34-37 : "Jesus 
answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye 
are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word 
of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken ; Say 
ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into 
the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the 
Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, be- 
lieve me not." 

Jesus also sanctifies. Heb. 13:12-14: "Wherefore 
Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his 
own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth 
therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his re- 
proach. For here have we no continuing city, but we 
seek one to come." 

Christ also sanctifies the church. Eph. 5 : 25-27 : 
"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved 
the church, and gave himself for it; that he might 
sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the 
word, that he might present it to himself a glorious 
church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; 
but that it should be holy and without blemish." 1 Cor. 
1:1-3: "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ 



236 TRAINING TO TEACH 

through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 
unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them 
that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, 
with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus 
Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: grace be unto 
you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord 
Jesus Christ." 

The Holy Spirit sanctifies. Rom. 15:16: "That I 
should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, 
ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the 
Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy 
Ghost." 

Sanctified by the word of God. 1 Tim. 4:4-6: "For 
every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, 
if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified 
by the word of God and prayer. If thou put the brethren 
in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good 
minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of 
faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast at- 
tained." 

Sanctified by the Lord Jesus and the Spirit of God. 
1 Cor. 6: 10, 11 : "Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunk- 
ards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the king- 
dom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are 
washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the 
name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." 

Must sanctify ourselves. Num. 11:18: "And say 
thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to- 
morrow, and ye shall eat flesh : for ye have wept in the 
ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? 
for it was well with us in Egypt : therefore the Lord will 
give you flesh, and ye shall eat." Lev. 1 1 : 44: "For T am 
the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify your- 
selves, and ye shall be holy ; for I am holy : neither shall 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 237 

ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing 
that creepeth upon the earth." Lev. 20:7, 8: "Sanctify 
yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord 
your God. And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: 
I am. the Lord which sanctify you." 1 Sam. 15:4, 5: 
"And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to 
Beth-lehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his 
coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, 
Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord: sanctify 
yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he 
sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the 
sacrifice." 

3. Who May Be Sanctifed? 

Offering made for all, therefore all must be sanctified. 
Heb. 10: 11-14: "And every priest standeth daily minis- 
tering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which 
can never take away sins: But this man, after he had 
offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the 
right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his 
enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he 
hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." 

Whole congregation to be sanctified. Joel 2: 15, 16: 
"Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn 
assembly: gather the people, sanctify the congregation, 
assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that 
suck the breasts : let the bridegroom go forth of his 
chamber, and the bride out of her closet." 

The Lord God must be sanctified in men. Ezek. 39: 
2.J, 28: When I have brought them again from the 
people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, 
and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations ; 
then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, 
which caused them to be led into captivity among the 
heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, 



238 TRAINING TO TEACH 

and have left none of them any more there." Ezek. 20: 
41 : "I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I 
bring you out from the people, and gather you out of 
the countries wherein ye have been scattered ; and I will 
be sanctified in you before the heathen." Isa. 29 : 23 : 
"But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, 
in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and 
sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God 
of Israel." 

A fast or a feast may be sanctified. Joel 1 : 14, 15 : 
"Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the 
elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house 
of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord, Alas for 
the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a 
destruction from the Almighty shall it come." 

Jesus sanctified himself. John 17 : 19 : "And for their 
sakes I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified 
through the truth." The salification of which Jesus 
speaks in this place is consecration of the whole creature 
to the spiritual purpose of the service of our heavenly 
Father ; to give up everything in order that His will may 
be accomplished ; to do that will to the very fullest. This 
is perfect sanctification. 

To be sure, this sanctification in itself does not neces- 
sarily imply any change in the thing that is sanctified. 
When Moses sanctified or consecrated the tabernacle and 
the altar and the vessels and the garments of the priests, 
etc., all these things remained just what they were be- 
fore, and the only difference was the purpose to which 
they were assigned. 

When Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said, "And for 
their sakes I sanctify myself," he did not mean he be- 
came absolutely pure ; he was already that. He did not 
mean he got rid of his sins; he had none to put away. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 239 

When he sanctified himself there was no change in him. 
His absolute holiness remains what it was before. He is 
still himself. There is no change because of the conse- 
cration. Sanctification demands the absolute surrender 
of every faculty and force of our being to God. To be 
set apart entirely to do the will of God. In so far as 
this is our purpose, we have a measure of sanctification. 
Of course purification is necessary in order to make com- 
plete surrender possible. If we are to undertake to be 
"laborers together with Christ/' we must have in our- 
selves that purity, that faith, that godliness, that conse- 
cration we would see manifest in others. If we are to 
bless mankind, we must begin by ourselves, rising above 
ourselves, seeking ever and ever more entire devotion to 
the Lord. It is only by beginning within and seeking to 
be what Christ was, that it is possible for us to do his 
holy work. 

It is not your money, your time, your labor, that your 
God wants you to give — it is yourself. The gift of these 
other things will follow. 

"Take my life, and let it be 
Consecrated, Lord, to thee." 

Cincinnati, 0. E. J. Meacham. 



SALVATION 

"How shall we escape if we neglect so great salva- 
tion?" (Heb. 2:3). 

The matter of greatest moment to every individual is 
the matter of salvation. The most important question 
that ever trembled upon the lips of man is the one asked 
of Paul and Silas by the Philippian jailer, "What must I 
do to be saved?" 

I. The question is a personal question. "What must 



240 TRAINING TO TEACH 

I do?" We are not to despise that which is done by- 
parents, preachers, Sunday-school teachers, companions, 
etc. The teaching, the example, the prayers, the plead- 
ing, the love of others, help to safeguard and to in- 
fluence our lives. Those who love us do much for us 
that we may come to an appreciation of the value and 
importance of "this great salvation." 

But, after all, the question has in it a necessary per- 
sonal element. There is the necessity of personal choice. 
There is the necessity of a personal faith and obedience. 

II. The individual is active, not passive. "What must 
I do?" Not how must I feel, but what must I do? The 
religion of Jesus Christ is always active. It is not some- 
thing you get, but something you do. "Pure religion 
and undefiled before God the Father is this ; to visit the 
fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep him- 
self unspotted from the world" (Jas. 1:27). To speak 
of "getting religion" is absurd — is not even good non- 
sense. "Blessed are they that do his commandments, for 
they shall have a right to the tree of life and shall enter 
in by the gates into the city" (Rev. 22: 14). "Not every 
one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall inherit the 
kingdom, but he that doeth the will of my Father which 
is in heaven." Be assured that if one is ever saved, he 
must "do the will of the Father." 

III. The doing is imperative, not optional. "What 
must I do?" There is a divine "must" in the matter of 
salvation. We constantly rejoice to stand in "the liberty 
wherewith Christ has made us free," but no man can 
truly honor and serve Christ unless he does his will. 
There are many things in many matters that we can do 
or leave undone, just as we choose, but in the matter of 
salvation we have no choice only to hear the voice of the 
great Commander, believe what he says, obey what he 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 241 

commands, become and be what he requires and as he 
requires, live as he directs and trust him for what he 
promises. We must deny self, take up our cross and 
follow him. We must comply fully with his terms. 

IV. The "what" to do to be saved is all-important. 
"Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of 
eternal life." No man can afford to go wrong here. No 
man can afford to mislead others. Better far go wrong 
in medicine or in law or in science or in philosophy, etc., 
than to go wrong in our answer to this all-important 
matter. Some things are fundamental because fixed by 
eternal, divine authority. 

1. If saved at all, it must be through Jesus Christ. 
"No man cometh unto the Father but by me." Christ 
said it. There is, then, no room for doubt or ques- 
tioning. 

2. We must comply with the terms proposed by the 
Saviour. The sinner should not presume to dictate his 
own terms. 

3. To doubt Christ's statements and to ask for ad- 
ditional evidence of pardon is to doubt his veracity and 
prove ourselves unworthy of his great salvation. The 
individual who doubts the word of Christ doubts Christ. 
To doubt is disloyalty. 

Finally, then, what does God's word say about salva- 
tion? 

"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" 
(Mark 16: 16). 

"Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 

I3:3)- 

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those 
who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). 

"He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved" 
(Matt. 10: 22). 



242 TRAINING TO TEACH 

i 'There is none other name given under heaven among 
men whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4: 12). 

"If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the 
ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1 Pet. 4: 18). 

My friend, where are you to-day ? *** 



CONVERSION 

There are three questions which come up in connec- 
tion with the general subject of conversion; one of them 
is both asked and answered in the Scriptures, and the 
other two are answered, and therefore asked by implica- 
tion. 

I. What must I know to be saved? 

Jesus said, as recorded in John 8 : 32, "Ye shall know 
the truth;" but what truth did he mean? If you will 
read John 14: 16, John 17: 17 and 1 Cor. 15: 1-4, you 
will find that God's word, and Christ who was the Word 
made flesh, and the gospel which tells of Christ's death, 
burial and resurrection, combine to form the truth that 
must be known. But how much of all this must be 
known? Read 1 Tim. 1:15. Know enough to take 
Christ as your Saviour according to his will. 

II. How must I feel to be saved? 

1. There must be feelings that precede and result in 
conversion. Paul says in 2 Cor. 7 : 10 that "godly sorrow 
worketh repentance unto salvation." And the people on 
the day of Pentecost were "pricked in the heart" so that 
they cried out in anguish, "What shall we do?" 

2. There must be feelings which follow and are the 
result of conversion. After the eunuch had been bap- 
tized he "went on his way rejoicing" (Acts 8:39), and 
in Gal. 5 : 22 Paul says that the fruit of the Spirit is love, 
joy, peace. 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 243 

III. What must I do to be saved? 
Throughout the New Testament teachings on conver- 
sion the following steps are always expressed or implied : 

1. Believe. (John 3:16.) 

2. Repent. (Matt. 4: 17.) 

3. Confess. (Matt. 10:32.) 

4. Be baptized. (Mark 16: 16.) 

5. Follow Christ. (Mark 8:34.) 

E. W. Thornton. 



CHRISTIAN UNION 

Text. — "That they all may be one." 

Scripture lesson to be read responsively, Eph. 4: 1-16. 

In New Testament times there were congregations 
here and there throughout Judaea, Samaria and Galilee, 
but were all a great unit, so that Acts 9: 31 says: "The 
church throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria 
had peace, being edified. " Acts 4: ^2 says: "The multi- 
tude of them that believed were of one heart and soul." 
Christian union was a fact in the beginning; it is not a 
fact now. Let us make three inquiries : 

I. Is Christian union according to good sense? 

Unity means oneness, concord, agreement, harmony. 
The absence of unity means division, discord, disagree- 
ment, strife. 

1. The absence of unity exists. 

2. The absence of unity is a hindrance to success, 
hence is inexpedient. 

3. The absence of unity is contrary to the eternal 
fitness of things, hence is unwise. 

4. The absence of unity springs from ignorance, prej- 
udice and ill-will, hence is unworthy. 



244 TRAINING TO TEACH 

5. The absence of unity is contrary to the expressed 
will of Christ, hence is wrong. 

II. Is Christian union according to the Scriptures? 
For reply to this question read John 17: 30, 31 ; 10: 

14-16; Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Cor. 3:9; Eph. 4:11-16; Col. 
1:18; 1 Cor. 1: 10, 12, 13; 3:4, 5; 12:25, 26; Phil. 1: 
27; 2:2, 3; Rom. 12: 10; 15:5-7; E P h - 3 :2 °> 21:4:2, 3. 

III. Is Christian union a possibility? 

1. It will be possible when people take Christ at 
his word. 

2. It will be possible when practice accompanies 
theory in the Christian's program. 

3. It will be possible when the salvation of the world 
from sin becomes the Christian's chief concern. 

E. W. Thornton. 



MEEKNESS 

"Showing all meekness toward all men" (Tit. 3:2). 
The quality of "meekness" is of sufficient value and 
beauty to be classed with compassion, kindness, humility 
and longsuffering. (See Col. 3 : 12.) It is hard to find a 
definition for meekness. We can not adequately portray 
its meaning by the use of synonyms. Perhaps the two 
ideas of which the words "mild" and "gentle" are the 
signs will help us get the right understanding of "meek- 
ness." Combine the two words just mentioned and lift 
them to the superlative degree and you have something 
like the New Testament idea of meekness. Now read 
once more the words found in Tit. 3 : 2, "Showing all 
meekness toward all men." Just think on these words 
seriously for a few moments. Don't be in a hurry to 
get away from them. Memorize them. Hold them fast. 

What about it ? How many people do you know who 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 245 

are doing the thing all are here exhorted to do? Begin 
at home to do your counting. "All meekness ... all 
men/' Not so hard, maybe, to be mild and gentle toward 
those whom we love ; toward those who are kind and good 
to us ; toward those who help us and show us favors and 
gratify our selfish desires, and do not cross us in our pur- 
poses nor hinder us in the pursuit of our pleasures. But 
what about the "all men"? Are we mild and gentle to- 
ward the one who started a bit of gossip about us? Are 
we so toward the one who assailed our character ? Would 
these words fittingly describe our attitude toward the one 
who abused us, cheated us, or injured us in any way? 
There are a lot of people included in that term "all men." 
And it isn't easy to be universally mild and gentle. The 
ideal is a lofty one. To lower it would be unlike God. 
To reach it will be godlike. 



OBEDIENCE 

"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to 
hearken than the fat of rams" (i Sam. 15:22). 

Introduction. — Does the Bible promise any special 
blessing to those who obey the Lord, or do Heaven's 
blessings descend upon us promiscuously and without 
respect to the acts of the creature? The correct answer 
to this question may be obtained if we will read the fol- 
lowing Scripture passages: 1 Sam. 15:22, 23; Jer. 7: 
23 ; Heb. 5:8, 9 ; 1 Pet. 1 : 22 ; Acts 6:7; 10 : 34, 35 ; 
Eccl. 12: 13. These passages certainly teach that 

1. Obedience is better than sacrifice. 

2. Jehovah is the God of those who obey. 

3. All is well with those who walk in his ways. 

4. Eternal salvation belongs to those who obey Christ. 

5. We purify our souls by obeying the truth. 



246 TRAINING TO TEACH 

6. Those who obey God and work righteousness are 
accepted of him. 

7. The whole duty of man is to fear God and keep his 
commandments ! 

The Scripture passages already considered, together 
with other statements in the word of God, teach us con- 
clusively that 

I. The righteous will scarcely be saved ( 1 Pet. 4 : 17, 
18; 2 Thess. 1:8; Col. 3:5, 6; Tit. 1: 16). 

II. Obedience to God has been a prime requisite in 
every age. Illustrate by reciting the story of 

a. The brazen serpent lifted up in the wilderness. 

b. The march around Jericho, following instructions 
exactly. 

c. Naaman the leper and the manner of his cure. 

d. The man commanded to wash in the pool of 
Siloam. 

III. Obedience is the proof of faith. James says, "By 
my works will I show thee my faith" (Jas. 2: 18). The 
entire second chapter of James is an argument as to the 
value of faith proven or exhibited through obedience. 

IV. Obedience, to be valuable, must be complete. 
Christ said, "Ye are my friends if you do whatsover I 
have commanded you." This is a very significant state- 
ment and teaches unmistakably how friendship is to be 
established between the individual and Christ. We are 
his friends, not because we want to be, and he wants us 
to be; not because we have some kind of feelings that 
are indescribable — "better felt than told;" not because 
we have the habit of prayer ; not because of who or what 
our parents were; etc. Ye are his friends if! If what? 
If ye do! Do what? Do what is convenient? Do what 
you feel like doing? Do as mother and father have 
taught? Do what suits your prejudice and agrees with 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 247 

your judgment? Listen: "Ye are my friends, if ye do 
whatsoever I have commanded yon!" Christ's commands 
must be obeyed. All of them! whatsoever! 

Conclusion: And what has Christ commanded? "Go 
ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole 
creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be 
saved, but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned" 
(Mark 16: 15, 16). "Go ye therefore, and make dis- 
ciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name 
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: 
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I com- 
manded you" (Matt. 28:19, 20). 

Have you heard the call of Christ, "Come unto me 
and I will give you rest"? Do you believe in him who 
is "the way, the truth and the life"? Will you heed the 
Holy Spirit's teaching, "Repent, and be baptized in the 
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins"? "Be- 
hold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than 
the fat of rams." *** 



THE BENEFITS OF WORSHIP 

Worship is equivalent to worth-ship. True worship, 
therefore, is designed to recognize and set forth the 
worthiness of the object to which it is addressed. 

Leadership is acknowledged by following one who is 
set to lead. Scholarship is acknowledged by reliance 
upon an appeal to the learning of the individual who 
possesses it. Fellowship is manifested by a mutual 
sharing of things held in common. Thus the confidence 
we have in a leader, a scholar or a comrade has its ap- 
propriate means of expression. 

Man is so made that he recognizes God in his inmost 
soul. It is only the fool — the abnormal, perverted man — 

(9) 



248 TRAINING TO TEACH 

who "hath said in his heart, There is no God." What 
one may think of God and how he may conduct himself 
toward God will depend on the knowledge he may have 
and his own will as influenced by early training and the 
environment in which he lives; but, without doubt, the 
sense of God's presence in the world dwells by nature in 
every normal human being. This sense is susceptible of 
cultivation, and fitting worship is the means divinely pro- 
vided to accomplish this purpose. The practical object 
in view is well expressed in the final stanza of that 
matchless hymn, "Sun of My Soul" : , 

"Be near to bless me when I wake, 
Ere through the world my way I take ; 
Abide with me till in Thy love 
I lose myself in heaven above." 

Christian worship, therefore, is designed to show the 
worth of the Christian's God or the esteem in which he 
is held by Christians and to strengthen the soul's grasp 
on spiritual things. Any act, therefore, that accomplishes 
these ends may be regarded as an act of true worship, 
though it may be but to give a cup of cold water to a 
disciple in the name of a disciple. 

But certain definite acts of worship were designated 
by our Lord and his apostles and steadfastly observed by 
the disciples of the early church. There are good reasons 
why these should be perpetuated by disciples of Jesus 
Christ. In addition to the facts of divine origin and 
apostolic precedent, each act of worship has a definite, 
practical end in view which, though seemingly incidental, 
is nevertheless most important. A consideration of the 
elements of worship one by one will enable us to better 
appreciate the value of public divine worship. 

Any true conception of the great love of God for 
those created in his own image will prompt some sort of 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 249 

active or audible expression. Ecstatic praise in song is 
the most natural. The poetry of the Bible abounds with 
passages rich in expressions of praise and honor. Many 
of these were written for use in song worship and were 
so used. Some of them commemorate special occasions 
of triumph and deliverance or joy and rejoicing. The 
practice of thus giving praise to God was commended by 
prophets and holy men of old and is recommended to 
Christian worshipers in the new dispensation, while the 
Book of Revelation represents heaven, where God is, as 
abounding in songs of praise and worship. 

It is a fact recognized both in material science and 
in psychology that to prevent expression hinders, and 
ultimately stops, production, while a proper expression 
stimulates the source to renewed action. Flowers and 
fruits must be plucked from the stem of plants that 
would be kept blooming or bearing through the season. 
Good and evil impulses cease to rise in the heart if no 
expression is granted. "It is good to sing praises unto 
our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is comely," ex- 
claims the Psalmist. He had tried it, and found that the 
more he sang praises the more praise his heart felt con- 
strained to offer. 

Praise may be expressed in song or in prayer or in 
public address. Songs and prayers may be public or 
private ; personal and sincere they must be, or they will 
soon cease or become an empty form. Private praise by 
prayer and song is not nearly so common as it should be 
and religion is suffering from the lack of expression. It 
is not that the human heart has ceased to adore, but 
spontaneous expression of genuine emotions has been 
allowed to die out. 

The Scriptures abound with examples of those who 
in times of distress or need went earnestly to God in 



250 TRAINING TO TEACH 

prayer. In no case did one so worshiping go empty 
away. If the request was not granted, light was given 
where the feet should walk or grace to meet the crisis or 
bear the burden. The New Testament is specially em- 
phatic and reassuring as to the efficacy of prayer. Our 
Lord asked God for blessings and instructed his disciples 
to do so. The apostles prayed confidently and urged the 
disciples to pray. 

The realm of religious truth is boundless. By revela- 
tion we have in the Bible such needful truth as we could 
not otherwise obtain. By experience we learn much that 
is profitable. Those who are informed — who are in pos- 
session of valuable truths, whether those of revelation or 
of practical, every-day life — are not to hold them in nig- 
gardly fashion or be overmodest about imparting them. 
It is by the truth that disciples are to be made free. Both 
in private and in public teaching should be constantly 
carried on; the worth of our God can not be made evi- 
dent so effectively in any other way as by imparting to 
others the truth about him and his great love to man- 
kind. 

The fellow-feeling or comradeship of those engaged 
in a common cause prompts always a sharing of common 
burdens. At the very beginning the disciples are seen 
sharing with each other the destitution and distress inci- 
dent to the espousing of a new and unpopular cause. 
The public meetings were occasions for collecting funds 
needful to meet the demands that were thus made upon 
their liberality. 

Exhortation is almost a lost art. Preaching is sup- 
posed by many in our day to be about the sum total of 
that for which Christians assemble. Instead of fraternal 
exhortation on the practical phases of Christian living, 
this part of the worship has been allowed to degenerate 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 251 

into the declamation of a doctrinal, or, what is worse, a 
literary or oratorical, production designed to entertain 
those present. The old practice of brotherly exhortation 
is well-nigh a lost art now and its going out is indeed a 
real loss. 

There is no calculating the value of kind and gen- 
erous exhortation delivered by brethren to each other 
in the public assembly in the name of their Lord. First 
of all, the cause of Christianity in the world benefits by 
it. Then, those who hear, if the exhortation be fervent 
and fitting, are edified. But the one who speaks finds 
himself reinforced also; he has recommitted himself to 
the truth and to holy living, and he must take care to 
walk circumspectly, so as to adorn the doctrine he has 
set forth. 

Wherever those of kindred minds and tastes assemble, 
there is communion of some sort — social, intellectual, 
commercial or spiritual. But to the Christian disciple 
communion comes to have a particular meaning. It im- 
plies not mere intercourse with his fellows on some 
earthly plane, but communion or intimate association of 
minds with them when Jesus Christ, the Elder Brother 
and Lord of all, is present in their midst. 

The Lord's table served as the meeting-place for such 
close companionship in the early church. For a time it 
seems to have been spread in his honor at any time on 
any day of the week and in any appropriate place. As 
the first day of the week came to be honored as the Lord's 
Day, it seems to have been selected as the most appro- 
priate time to celebrate this feast of love. 

The Lord's table combines communion, testimony, 
remembrance and self-examination. These are clearly 
set forth in the Scriptures as belonging to its observance. 
Communion : "The cup of blessing which we bless, is 



252 TRAINING TO TEACH 

it not a communion of the blood of Christ? The bread 
which we break, is it not a communion of the body of 
Christ?" (i Cor. 10: 16). Testimony: "For as often 
as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye proclaim 
the Lord's death till he come" (i Cor. 11:26). Re- 
membrance: "This do in remembrance of me" (Luke 22: 
19). Self-examination: "But let a man prove himself, 
and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup" 
(1 Cor. 11 : 28). 

These, then, are some of the things — the more vital 
ones — that disciples may do in their meetings to set 
forth the worthship of the God they serve. The Lord's 
Day is the time most appropriate for these exercises. 
It has a wealth of sacred memories to mark and sepa- 
rate it from other days, and it is approved by apostolic 
precedent. In all Christian lands it is a day apart, 
a release from the routine of life. We celebrate Moth- 
ers' Day by showing to the world our appreciation of 
motherhood. On Independence Day we express appre- 
ciation of our national liberties. Can we who are Chris- 
tians do less than to consecrate this one day in seven to 
the memory and service of our Lord. *** 



PURITY OF HEART, OR HOW TO 
SEE GOD 

The most familiar texts are often least considered. 
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God," 
is one that will bear several readings. That we have 
given is the one commonly given. Let us examine its 
words as to possible meaning, and rewrite it in the liglit 
of what we may learn. 

The very first word, "blessed," would not be less cor- 
rect if it read "happy" instead, so we should have it, 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 253 

"Happy are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." 

The word "pure" will bear study. It means free from 
dirt. Dirt we have heard defined as misplaced material. 
When an object or area has no misplaced material, it 
may be said to be pure. Our word "clean" expresses 
it well. Let us write it again, "Happy are the clean in 
heart: for they shall see God." 

"Heart" is a term of variable meaning, but here it 
means the inner life as contrasted with the physical body. 
It will do no violence to the text if, for the suggestive- 
ness of it, we read it, "Happy are those who are clean 
in the inner life : for they shall see God." 

We are making progress, but there is another im- 
portant meaning to note. The word "see" means more 
than to look upon ; it carries with it the idea of personal 
presence. It is the word used in Rev. 22 : 4 : "And they 
shall see his face, and his name shall be on their fore- 
heads." Let us read it once more : "Happy are those 
who are clean in their inner lives : for they shall stand 
in the presence of God." 

How the meaning of this beautiful old passage has 
grown ! It offers no prize long deferred and conditioned 
on the attainment of an impossible ideal. It states a 
spiritual fact; i. e., that in proportion as men can attain 
to the Christian model, they can here and now recognize 
the presence of God in his world, and stand acceptably 
in his presence. 

Of old it had been only a favored few who could hope 
to come near the kings of earth as friends or counsel- 
ors. Now the king draws near to all who are spiritually 
inclined to look upon and bless them, and to hear them 
when they call upon him. 

The standards of men require that the outer life 
be acceptable, but God looks on the heart. Honest toil 



254 TRAINING TO TEACH 

may stain the hands and plain garments clothe the body, 
but these do not disqualify men to serve as confidents 
of the King. 

Oh, to stand in his presence; to feel that he cares 
for us ; to know that no power can snatch us out of his 
hand. This is happiness indeed. Let lightning rend 
the clouds and thunder roll; let earthquakes shake the 
foundations of the earth ; let temptation sear and scorch ; 
let demons do their works ; so long as we keep the heart 
clean for His sake, we are safe. 

And this is an accomplishment possible to all. Not 
many can be learned and eloquent. Only a few can have 
power as artists in any line. Wealth comes not to the 
many. Honor and distinction may not be won even by 
those who seek them, but here is honor, wealth, art, learn- 
ing, all in one. All who will can be pure in heart and 
stand in the presence of him who is the God of all the 
universe. "Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall 
see God." 



OBEDIENCE, OR THE DOCTRINE 
OF DOING 

(i Sam. 15:22; Matt. 7:21-27.) 

Introduction. — Which saves, faith or works? This 
has been discussed for ages. It is simple enough ; neither 
one saves and both save — as the oars of a boat or the 
wings of a bird. 

Nevertheless, action has a central place in religion. 
So it has in everything else — farming, schoolteaching, 
child-training. The doing proves and establishes faith. 
'"The doctrine of doing" is the central doctrine of the 
Bible and of the Christian religion. 

I. We see this illustrated among the patriarchs — 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 255 

Abraham — circumcision (Genesis 17) — offering Isaac 
(Gen. 22: 1-19). 

II. We see it again among the Jews — Saul, a king, 
falls from favor with God because he would substitute 
sacrifice for obedience (1 Sam. 15:1-23). 

III. We see it emphasized by Christ on many oc- 
casions. 

1. At his own baptism (Mark 1:9-11). 

2. In his teaching. 

(1) Citizenship in the kingdom (Matt. 7:21; 
John 3: 3-5). 

(2) Friendship to the Saviour (John 15: 14). 

(3) Relationship to God (Matt. 12:50). 

IV. We hear it from the lips of the apostles. 

1. Peter on Pentecost (Acts 2:38). 

2. Paul to the Romans (Rom. 6: 17, 18). 

3. James in his general epistle (Jas. 2:20-22). 

4. John in the Revelation (Rev. 22: 14). 

Appeal. See, then, what depends on obedience to the 
gospel. 1. Knowledge of God (1 John 2:3). 2. Re- 
mission of Sins (Acts 2:38). 3. Citizenship in the 
Kingdom (Matt. 7:21). 4. The Holy Spirit (Acts 5: 
32). 5. Friendship to Christ (John 15:14). 6. Rela- 
tionship to God (Matt. 12:50). 7. Tree of Life (Rev. 
22: 14). 



THE GROUNDS OF CHRISTIAN JOY 

Illustrated by the case of Simon Bar-Jonah — a happy 
man (Matt. 16: 17). Here is a man whom Jesus says 
is blessed or happy. To have the divine approval is cer- 
tainly an enviable condition. Let us ask how it was at- 
tained. 

There is good reason why Simon was happy. 



256 TRAINING TO TEACH 

I. He has found Jesus Christ. How ? 

1. By doing the next duty constantly. 

2. By being sincere in his inner life. 

3. By the aid God gives a sincere man. 

II. He has learned how to commune with God. 

1. Relatively to right character he has been divinely 
taught. 

2. With reference to revealed truth he has learned of 
God. 

3. As to the future he has had assurance from one 
who knows. 

III. He has found a place of service. 

1. Nothing so good as to have a job. 

2. This indeed is what it means to find Jesus — it is to 
find service. 

Conclusion. — Thus Jesus makes his followers happy 

1. By companionship. 

2. By bringing them to the Father. 

3. By giving them a work to do. 



PRE-EMINENCE OF JESUS 

"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is 
the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all 
things he might have the pre-eminence." — Col. 1 : 18. 

Introduction. — Probably no man can be found in 
any profession to-day who is willing to announce to the 
world, "I am pre-eminent in my profession." No law- 
yer, no doctor, no teacher, no preacher, no scientist, has 
announced, "I am the light of my profession." Should 
any man dare to make such a claim, we would imme- 
diately brand him as an egotist, and he would become 
contemptible in the eyes of his colleagues. Yet, when 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 257 

Jesus announces, "I am the light of the world," there 
is a hearty "Amen" throughout Christendom. And when 
Paul declares that ''in all things he should have pre- 
eminence," we all agree. 

I. Jesus is pre-eminent in the fulfillment of prophecy. 
Every prophecy written of him has been, or will be, 
fulfilled. More than six hundred bits of prophecy found 
in the Old Testament have been accurately fulfilled, even 
to the minutest detail, in Jesus Christ. This fact fur- 
nishes one of the finest proofs of his divinity. 

II. Jesus is pre-eminent in the intellectual world. 
"Whence hath this man this wisdom?" (Matt. 13:54), 
asked the people in his own country who heard his 
teachings in the synagogue. "They were astonished at 
his teachings," says Matthew, and in Luke 2 : 47 we are 
told that even at twelve years of age "all that heard him 
were amazed at his understanding and his answers." 
The variety of his illustrations and the accuracy of his 
descriptions show his wonderful knowledge of the mani- 
festations of God in every realm. No man was able to 
"ensnare him in his speech." The priests and elders, 
the scribes and Pharisees, the lawyers and doctors were 
not able to match his logic nor overthrow his word. He 
was not only the wisest of the wise, but he taught the 
wise wisdom. 

III. Jesus is pre-eminent as a preacher. His ser- 
mons were short, but full of wisdom. His longest re- 
corded sermon is the "Sermon on the Mount," as given 
in chapters 5, 6 and 7 of Matthew. One can read 
every word of that carefully in twenty minutes. But 
where is there a recorded sermon that approaches that 
one in thought and power and promise? It gives us 
teaching as to 

1. Who are the happy (Matt. 5: 1-16). 



258 TRAINING TO TEACH 

2. New rules of conduct (Matt. 5:21-48). 

3. Ostentation in religion (Matt. 6:1-18). 

4. Laying up treasures (Matt. 6: 19-24). 

5. A cure for anxiety (Matt. 6: 25-34). 

6. Beams and motes (Matt. 7:1-5). 

7. The Golden Rule and its application (Matt. 7: 
6-12). 

8. Two gates, two ways, two ends (Matt. 7: 13-20). 

9. Wise and foolish builders (Matt. 7:21-29). 
These lessons and teachings are all fitted together 

naturally and beautifully. Where is there a preacher who 
can build a sermon like the "Sermon on the Mount"? 

IV. Jesus is pre-eminent in loveliness. He is "the 
fairest among ten thousand, the one altogether lovely." 
"We love him, because he first loved us." All praise 
and adoration belong to him. No wonder the angels 
sang, "Glory to God in the highest!" It is becoming 
in every one to love him with the whole heart and mind 
and soul and strength. 

V. Jesus is pre-eminent in name. His is the "name 
that is above every name." The old and oft-repeated 
statement that "there is nothing in a name" is as false 
as can be. There is something — yea, much — in the 
name of my wife and of your mother. Let some one 
slander these, and it cuts to the heart. Much more: 
let none detract from the name of Christ. Let every 
true Christian honor his Lord by refusing to wear any 
Other or any additional or any different name. 

VI. Jesus is pre-eminent in honor. He is above all 
and over all. "Let no man glory m men." Not Moses, 
not Paul, not Luther, not Wesley, not Campbell, not 
anybody, but Christ is all in all! He is above all men 
and all angels. He is the "Alpha and Omega, the first 
and the last." Brave men are needed who will honor 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 259 

him in their preaching and in their living. Men who 
will dare stand up and preach his word without com- 
promise and without apology. 

VII. Jesus is pre-eminent in the church. "All author- 
ity in heaven and on earth hath been given unto me" 
(Matt. 28: 18). We get our orders from him. There 
is no authority delegated to pope or priest or people. 
On the mount of transfiguration the eternal God said, 
"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 
Then he charged, "Hear ye him!" The world is crying, 
"We would see Jesus." There is so much of sadness, 
sorrow, suffering and sighing in this old world, we need 
to preach Jesus, the great Physician, the Saviour, the 
Redeemer, the Lord of glory. 

VIII. Jesus is pre-eminent as a Saviour. This is the 
greatest thought connected with Jesus the Christ. Men 
and women ought to be willing to accept Christ for what 
he is. Saviour ! He alone is able to save, but he is "able 
to save unto the uttermost." The world has no welcome 
for the broken down, the defeated, the discouraged, the 
hopeless. Only Jesus has a welcome for all who are 
weary and heavy laden. "No man cometh unto the 
Father but by me." "Him that cometh unto me I will 
in no wise cast out." Will you come? 



WORK 

Text. — "I must work the works of him that sent me 
while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can 
work." — John 9 : 4. 

Introduction. — Most people have an ambition for 
fame or wealth. Jesus sought neither. The miracles he 
wrought were great enough to make him famous. Had 
he charged a price proportionate to the charges of physi- 



260 TRAINING TO TEACH 

cians and surgeons of to-day, he could have become the 
wealthiest man of his day. But his life was obscure, 
and he charged those who received the benefits of his 
kindness and power to "tell no man." 

He came to work. The keynote of his blessed life 
is found in our text. Not only was he willing to work, 
but he sought that work to do it. "The Son of man is 
come to seek and to save that which was lost." It is a 
blessed thought to all who have to labor that our Lord 
was a workman. From that day in the temple when he 
said, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's 
business?" as we follow his footsteps along the sands of 
Galilee, up and down the fertile valley of the Jordan, 
across Judean plains, or through sunny Samaria, we find 
him never idle. He went about doing good. I would 
have you note carefully the words of this text. Let us 
take into account 

i. The personality of the demand. "I must work." 
Jesus* realized that he had a work to do that no one else 
could do. Even so every one has a work none else can 
do for 'him! I have one life to live, one character to 
build, one record to make, one account to render. No 
one can take my place in these matters. No matter how 
small the duty, it must be done. 

2. Note the necessity of the work. "I must work." 
It is imperative. Christ's work was before him, and he 
could not and would not shirk it. He was always ready 
to do "the will of the Father." A like readiness to obey, 
to do with our might what our hands find to do, will 
make of us workmen who need not to be ashamed. 

3. A specific work. "The words of him that sent 
me." He says he came "not to do my own will, but the 
will of him that sent me." He came to "manifest the 
Father," to "fulfil all righteousness," to call sinners to 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 261 

repentance, to redeem a lost world, to show us the 
Father, and to provide the abundant life. When Jesus 
opened the eyes of the blind, healed the sick, fed the 
multitudes, raised the dead, etc., he was doing the works 
of him that sent him — God's work. 

4. A specific time for the work. "While it is day. 3 ' 
While Christ was among men he said, "I am the light 
of the world." The coming of the "Sun of righteous- 
ness" brought the daylight of the world's history. Jesus 
turns darkness into bright and glorious sunlight. When 
our Lord uttered the words of our text, he knew that 
night was coming soon ; he knew that not far away was 
the darkness of Gethsemane and Calvary. He knew that 
every moment was precious, and should be improved for 
the sake of others. So ought we to be busy doing the 
work our God would have us do each day. "To-day is 
the day of salvation." "Ye know not what shall be on 
the morrow." 

Why make excuse? Let us do with our might what 
our hands find to do. "Whatsoever ye do in word or in 
deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus." The fields 
are white. The laborers are few. Let every Christian 
adopt as his personal motto the words spoken by our 
Lord : "I must work the works of him that sent me, for 
the night cometh when no man can work." 



UNIQUENESS OF JESUS 

"Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea 
obey him ?" — Mark 4 : 41. 

He who was the marvel of the first century is also 
the marvel of the twentieth century. There was and is 
in Jesus of Nazareth some quality that widely separates 
him from humanity. At the same time he is so near to 



262 TRAINING TO TEACH 

each individual as to have a personal interest in every 
soul. His close and constant association with the mul- 
titudes, his readiness to minister to the needs of all 
classes, prove him to be the friend of humanity. 

Jesus stands alone in contrast with the great of earth. 
He is not only the wisest of the great and the greatest 
of the wise, but he taught the wise wisdom and the great 
greatness. He towers so high above all other men that 
it is easier to make him divine than human. 

1. He was unique as to his life's plan. He had a 
definite purpose in life. He had a work to accomplish 
which no one else could do. That the purpose of God in 
his life might be fully carried out he did his work 
according to a definite plan. Few people plan the work 
of their lives. Fewer still are able to carry out their 
plans. Incidental and accidental things enter in to spoil 
the best of plans sometimes. Unforeseen and unex- 
pected events compel us to change some plans and 
abandon others. 'Tis foolish for us to say, "To-day or 
to-morrow we will go into the city, and buy and sell and 
get gain." 

But Jesus was ever calm and confident, and was 
about his Father's business. His face was ever toward 
Jerusalem. Nothing surprised him, nothing daunted 
him. His is the only life that met all that was expected 
of it — all it was designed for. 

2. He filled his own and every man's ideal of good- 
ness. Where is there a man who measures up to his own 
ideal? Every thinking man is conscious of his own im- 
perfections. There is probably no living man who, if 
he could live his life over, would follow exactly the 
course he has already traveled. Each of us has frequent 
occasion to regret our mistakes and follies ; likewise we 
have failed to find our ideal for life manifest in any 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 263 

other. We cover the defects in the lives of our friends 
with the mantle of charity, but we are all the time con- 
scious of the fact that defects are there; yet we have 
more respect for the man who acknowledges his mis- 
takes than for the one who claims perfection or absolute 
holiness. 

In the life of Jesus, however, is no defect and no 
mistake and no inconsistency. He never had to say, "I 
repent/' He measured up to the highest that the world 
demands. He set before the world its only perfect 
model. He had a perfect ideal, and he met it perfectly 
in every point. 

3. Jesus was unique as a religious teacher. Born in 
poverty, surrounded with selfishness and bigotry, yet he 
taught the world its greatest lessons in humility, self- 
sacrifice, sympathy, charity and brotherliness. Through 
the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth man lives better, en- 
joys more, dies happier; truth has new significance, life 
better objects, hope brighter prospects and death new 
revelations. In every region where his gospel is pro- 
claimed, the wail of the mourner is less sad and hope is 
breathed for the dying and the dead. His empire is 
deepening and widening, and year by year his cause is 
winning new fame and glory. 

While he never wrote but a single sentence, and 
wrote that in the sand, his words are recorded in the 
books of all civilized people on the earth. The greatest 
minds of the world are engaged in discussing his teach- 
ings and his life. There is nothing good or pure or holy 
which he has not uttered. You may search the lore and 
legends of the earth, and not one additional truth can be 
found that will make more complete the system of re- 
ligion taught by him. Like men of old, we still exclaim, 
"Whence hath this man this knowledge !" 



264 TRAINING TO TEACH 

4. Jesus was unique that he is the only mediator be- 
tween God and man. In him are combined perfect 
humanity and perfect divinity. With one hand he 
reaches up to the throne; with the other he reaches 
man's lowest estate. He stands in the midst of the ages 
to proclaim, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No 
man cometh unto the Father but by me." "As Moses 
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the 
Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth on 
him should not perish, but have everlasting life." His 
invitation is for "whosoever will." What, then, will you 
do with Jesus? 

PEACEMAKERS 

"Blessed are the peacemakers : for they shall be called 
the sons of God" (Matt. 5:9). 

Some there are who are making peace. Many there 
are who are breaking peace. Some are engaged in 
efforts to bring about peace. Others are continually 
stirring up strife. The blessing pronounced is upon the 
peacemaker, and not upon the piece maker. 

Every disciple who would honor Christ should be 
continually seeking peace. Let us remember that his 
coming into the world was heralded by the advent song, 
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among 
men in whom he is well pleased." Let us remember 
also the Saviour's benediction, "Peace I leave with you; 
my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth give 
I unto you" (John 14:27). 

Notwithstanding these facts and many additional 
statements of Him who was "meek and lowly in heart," 
Christian nations have the biggest guns and the sharpest 
swords. The law of the jungle — the longest tooth and 
the sharpest claw — still holds sway. "Wars and rumors 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 265 

of wars" are presented to us in the flaring headlines of 
the daily papers almost without interruption. We seem 
still inclined to "fight for peace." The cost of main- 
taining our present army and navy is enormous. Add 
to this the cost of building new battleships, manufacturing 
more and greater guns, purchasing new arms, and con- 
stantly replenishing the ammunition, and you will find we 
are putting multiplied millions of dollars into a depart- 
ment of Government enterprise that is contrary to the 
spirit of Him who came to establish "peace on the earth." 
How long with such training and tactics will it be until 
nations learn war no more? How long until all nations 
"shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears 
into pruning-hooks" ? 

Added to these wars between nations we have much 
strife between man and man. This fact should concern 
us most seriously. After all, the Christian religion is 
so vitally related to the individual life that we are com- 
pelled to consider the individual spirit and behavior. 
There is strife between neighbor and neighbor. Bad 
blood arises over a dispute about a line fence, or grows 
out of a "children's quarrel," or from some source equally 
as absurd. It would take pages to enumerate the "trifles" 
over which neighbors have become estranged. Gossip 
has played a large part. Jealousy, envy, suspicion, are 
constant contributors to neighborhood quarrels. 

Then, too, we have to contend with factions in the 
church. "Me and him don't speak." Two elders fall 
out over politics. The church organ creates a condition 
of strife. The Sunday-school teacher is abused for cor- 
recting a bad boy. How true is the statement of "Billy" 
Sunday that a "lot of church-members wear out six pairs 
of kicking-straps to one pair of tugs." 

These things ought not so to be. The Bible furnishes 



26G TRAINING TO TEACH 

instructions as to how to deal with these misunderstand- 
ings and disagreements. The first and finest agency to 
break down all strife and bickerings is to have the spirit 
of meekness and a supreme desire and purpose to help 
Jesus Christ bring about peace and goodwill among men. 
Every individual would do well to firmly resolve to re- 
frain from speaking unless he can say something good 
of another. A perfect control of the tongue and the 
temper enables us to avoid much strife. That's good ad- 
vice we have heard since childhood to "think twice be- 
fore you speak." 

"Boys, flying kites, haul in their white- winged birds; 
You can't do that when flying words. 
Careful with fire, is good advice, you know; 
Careful with words is ten times doubly so." 

"Blessed are the peacemakers." Let us seek to so 
have the mind of Christ that we will think no evil ; to so 
guard our tongues that we shall speak ao evil; to so 
faithfully follow the footsteps of Jesus that we shall do 
no evil. "Be at peace with all men." "Let the peace of 
God rule in your hearts." "The God of peace be with 
you all." *** 



REPENTANCE 

i. What is repentance f According to Rom. 2 : 4, 
repentance is something to which the goodness of God 
leads. "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness 
and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the 
goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" 

And according to 2 Cor. 7:10 and Ps. 38:17, 18, 
repentance is something which is wrought by, and which 
comes after, sorrow for sin. "For godly sorrow work- 
eth repentance unto salvation, a repentance which bring- 



A MANUAL FOR MINISTERS 267 

eth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh 
death." 

"For I am ready to fall, 

And my sorrow is continually before me. 

For I will declare mine iniquity ; 

I will be sorry for my sin." 

And according to Acts 26 : 19, 20, repentance is some- 
thing which comes before turning to God. "Wherefore, 
O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly 
vision : but declared both to them of Damascus first, and 
at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judaea, 
and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and 
turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance." 

These Scriptures lead us to conclude that repentance 
is something which comes between being sorry for and 
turning away from sin. We will find an instance in 
Luke 15:17-20, where the first sentence of verse 18 
shows repentance to be the change of will or pur- 
pose, the making of a sincere resolve, which is the actual 
turning of the will. "But when he came to himself he 
said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread 
enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger ! I will arise 
and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I 
have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no 
more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of 
thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his 
father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw 
him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell 
on his neck, and kissed him." 

2. Is repentance a matter of importance? "I tell you, 
Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner 
perish" (Luke 13: 3). 

"And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be bap- 
tized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto 



268 TRAINING TO TEACH 

the remission of your sins ; and ye shall receive the gift 
of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2: 38). 

"I say unto you, That even so there shall be joy in 
heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over 
ninety and nine righteous persons, who need no repent- 
ance." 

These passages settle forever the matter of the im- 
portance of repentance. They can not be read without 
making the obligatory nature of repentance perfectly 
apparent. 

3. On whom does the responsibility rest? It is some- 
times thought that, if men do not repent, it is because 
God has not peculiarly visited them with "conviction." 
Repentance is thought by some to be a type of con- 
viction which can only come immediately from God. 
You will find in the following Scriptures, and in others 
of like importance, that the responsibility of accepting 
the overtures which God has made through Jesus Christ 
rests upon the individual to whom the appeal is made. 

"Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most 
of his mighty works were done, because they repented 
not" (Matt. 11:20). 

"The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; 
but now he commandeth men that they should all every- 
where repent" (Acts 17:30). 

4. When is the time for repentance? Both reason 
and revelation indicate that the present is the only time 
for repentance, because the present is the only time we 
have. 

"Wherefore, even as the Holy Spirit saith, 
To-day if ye shall hear his voice, 
Harden not your hearts" (Heb. 3: 7, 8). 
"Behold, now is the acceptable time ; behold, now is 
the day of salvation" ('2 Cor. 6:2). 



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